SO YOU WANT THE FACTS ABOUT GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS?
Are they dangerous and what are the risks? Well you know at Fit Facts we like to research
the real facts so we can bring you the full skinny on all the issues affecting
you; but the truth is that we can’t on this one because the industry standard
is that even the experts can’t agree.
What are they saying? Read on to
find out.
Those working hard in the laboratories, developing and trialing genetic
modifications that could one day exist within foods available nationally, insist
that the insertion of genes into plants and food strains is commendable and ultimately
beneficial in the race to find ever more diverse and reliable methods to
maintain food production for a multiplying population. They insist that the technology is benign and
preferable to the alternatives, one of which is chemical insecticides. They tell us genetically modified strains not
only avoid the need for constant spraying with toxins but that the newly developed
plants are reliable and will boost yields.
Important in the developing world and continents where people are still
dying of hunger.
Currently 27 countries permit GM Foods.
Indeed farmers in other countries agree that since switching from hand
spraying crops twice a week to a genetically modified crop has proven health
benefits. As the toxins in the pesticides
left them permanently susceptible to burning throats, irritated eyes and angry
skins rashes. All of which are now eradicated
by newly developed plants which have a gene inserted which utilizes naturally
existing soil microbes to produce a toxin that abolishes burrowing pests which would
otherwise destroy the plant from within.
These new crops are proving reliable and pest resistant when tested by
small farmers. The testing has been
rolled out across small farming communities in the light of which sceptics
cannot accuse only multi-nationals of benefiting financially from results.
The US has been using GM agricultural crops for 20 years, without it would
seem any harmful results within the population.
There are still those though who continue to seek to demonise GM
processes and feed the fear among any they seek to influence; without it seems any
satisfactory or convincing proof that GM Foods are at all dangerous or harmful to
humans, and chief among them is Greenpeace.
All this scare mongering without scientific evidence is being
discredited, together with any hostile action to disrupt trials which still
continues unabated.
Of course newly suggested GM Foods were viewed with anger and suspicion
a decade ago, but science has moved on a long way since those days, in fact
many who staunchly opposed and campaigned against the introduction have since become
convinced of the benefits and moved to the pro-platform and now actively
campaign for new legislation. Those
managing the up to date experimentation firmly believe that this genetic
modification can confer some benefits and does not pose any risk.
So, then can you make your own decision as to whether you feel you’d
like to try out GM Foods yourself at home? The answer to that is no, since rules
governing us and your food industry are managed via Europe and not only are
there no plans to revoke any existing laws but the speed of change is so mired
in sluggish bureaucracy that it will be many many years before we see any
change here in the U.K. Despite it now widely
circulating within our food chain for meat eaters. As rules changed in 2013 to allow animals bred
here as meat and poultry for human consumption to be fed GM Food. Which does rather make a nonsense of the
whole argument even persisting beyond 2013.
So, excluding over-zealous radical activists; the overall consensus of
GM Foods in 21st century Britain is that it is believed safe but remains
prohibited. There seems little evidence
that this situation is likely to change anytime soon as there are those still
waiting to be persuaded. Before such
sweeping technology is ever likely to be adopted it could first have to prove
itself to be viable in terms of offering irrefutable evidence which points
toward either a distinct benefit to health or a marked reduction in price. Reaping the reward of lower prices at point
of sale could be far more convincing that mere scientific fact.
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