Monsanto and Genetically Modified Organism

Monsanto’s proposal towards the investment of the production of GMO crops for public schools is not only a good idea towards the promotion of health to the students of Georgia but it is economically generous also. Although GMO crops are controversial when it comes to health in the long term, there are no sources of hardcore evidence that can support the argument that GMO’s are bad for humans. Going through with this proposal would be beneficial to the welfare of children, and would not create a major economic impact.

When it comes to the economics of this proposal, and when looking at comparisons, this proposal is cheap. Georgia is paying 9.8 billion towards education during the year of 2019(Suggs). Monsanto asked for an investment of $500,000, which is not even close to 1% of the total investments. Monsanto also offered to invest in 500,000 more making the total investment $1 million. One of Monsanto’s arguments on why this is economically good is that it can provide jobs for those who need it. Monsanto also mentions that a 2008-2012 study has found that 23-25% of the state of Georgia is considered food insecure, meaning children under the age of 18 may not be able to afford healthy foods(KCDC). A more recent study from 2017 showed that food insecurity for children in Georgia is 20%, showing a decrease(Georgia Mountain Food Bank). However, these stats still aren’t good. Monsanto genetically modifying these crops to increase their abundance will not only decrease the prices but it would also increase the amount of fruits and vegetables provided to schools in need of a healthier meal plan for those on free or reduced lunch. Monsanto also mentioned that they would focus on schools with higher rates of free or reduced lunch.

When it comes to the health impacts of this proposal it gets a little confusing. We know fruits and vegetable are good for us, but are GMO’s? In Monsanto’s proposal they mentioned that 35% of children and teens aged 10-17 in 2011-2012 are considered obese in Georgia(KCDC). Incorporation of more plant based foods in the diets of these children and teens could decrease these rates. The big question out of the health side of things however is whether or not GMO’s are healthy too. From the year 1997 to 2011 there has been a 2% increase in food allergies and people put GMO’s at fault for this(Jackson). However, no real proof has been found to show that GMO’s are linked to allergies(Charles). People also claim that GMO’s can cause anti-biotic resistance, but there has been no proof of this claim. Lastly, many people think cancer is linked to GMO’s, but no research has proven this claim either(Food and Chemical Toxicology). Although many are suspicious of the impacts of GMO’s, with no evidence provided, the pro’s out weight the cons when it comes to health. Fruits and vegetables may improve the health of these children and that should be a big enough statement to be persuasive to the Georgia legislation.

Going through with this proposal would prove to be more beneficial than not in the future. When it comes to Monsanto’s statements, one thing they could have done to improve their argument is to give a more recent examples of data. For example, 2012 is their most recent data and that was 6 years ago. It would have strengthened their argument to use data from a much more recent time period because using the present time can almost create a sense of urgency. But it’s easy to say that data has most likely not changed drastically over 6 years either. Overall the data they provided was mainly factual and helped improve their proposal with the exception of the time period. The Georgia legislature should move forward with this.

Bibliography

“Create Your Custom Report.” KIDS COUNT Data Center: A Project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, www.datacenter.kidscount.org/.

“Hunger and Poverty in Georgia.” Georgia Mountain Food Bank, www.gamountainfoodbank.org/georgia-stats/.

“Introduction to Food Toxicology.” Food and Chemical Toxicology, vol. 31, no. 12, 1993, p. 1038., doi:10.1016/0278-6915(93)90020-y.

Suggs, Claire. “Overview: 2019 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education.” Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, 6 Feb. 2018, gbpi.org/2018/overview-2019-georgia-budget-k-12-education/.

Kristen D. Jackson. “Trends in Allergic Conditions Among Children: United States, 1997–2011.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 May 2013, www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db121.htm.

Xu, Charles. “Nothing to Sneeze at: the Allergenicity of GMOs.” Science in the News, 15 Aug. 2015, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/allergies-and-gmos/.

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