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Steven Raju
Melina Probst
English 2
December 2, 2015
Genetically Modified Food
Humans throughout history always held the mindset to enhance their standard of living, no
matter what cost it may take to do so. This innate belief strings on the pride human beings, tugging
it to a point where failure to enhance things is unacceptable. The undying ideology of enhancement
has been a pillar of human society for many centuries. Humans have applied this mindset on to a
variety different things, whether towards automobiles, homes, etc. Some people have compared
this mindset to “playing god”. Many argue that playing god is unethical and humans should avoid
doing so, but nevertheless, humans continue to take natural things and change them. One
prominent example of this include genetically modified food. Also called GMOs for short, the
definition are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA
using the methods of genetic engineering as opposed to traditional cross breeding. GMO were
created to “promises better yield and quality of the end products than conventional breeding
methods” (Patwardhan 1366). GMO is not necessarily a new method (first official genetic
engineering happening in 1983), but GMOs are poised to be a factor in the future of human beings.
With progress in genetic engineering, farmers and scientists have changed the way in which food
is grown and made. Like the human mindset, food is being enhanced in order to bring about things
like better taste, production, nutrition, etc. Despite the GMO’s potential benefits and the years it
has been used, it is still clear that there is not enough information on the consequences of GMOs.
Because of this uncertainty, the debate rages on whether GMOs can be beneficial to human society.

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While some of society are wary of the potential negatives of GMOs and believe they are too risky
to continue, the further production and study of GMOs fall in line with the human mindset of
constant enhancement and never giving up on things that can help benefit an individual’s standard
of living. It is essential to understand the variety of benefits GMOs can provide for the future of
human society.
It an understood norm humans desire some kind of nutritional benefit from the food they
consume every day. It is essential for humans ingest the nutritional benefits of food, and GMOs
testing have shown to provide such. It is known though however that the goals of GMOs have not
always been centered on nutrition, with symptomfind.com stating “Not all genetically modified
foods are changed to increase their nutritional content” (Henshaw). Nutritional value has not
always been the main goal of GMOs, but GMOs has been making progress to increase nutritional
value in their products. GMOs nowadays are starting to exhibit of number of benefits for the human
body, ranging from “ improved nutritional quality and health benefits in foods, improved protein
and carbohydrate content of foods, improved fat quality, improved quality and quantity of meat,
milk and livestock” (Uzogara 179). GMOs are starting to have a roundabout effect, improving
various aspects of nutritional quality that can be extremely beneficial to the consumer. For
example, coconut oil was modified into Nutra-coconut oil in a study done by Central Food
Technological Research Institute. The genetically modified coconut oil proved to be “enriched
with omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids and bioactive phytoceuticals, which include sesamol,
secoisolariceresinol and many other phenolic acids that are beneficial to health” (Rajasekharan
1439). Foods are now being genetically modified in order to introduce or enhance the nutritional
benefits, which is a critical factor for humans in determining whether GMOs have a place in the
future of human society. Despite not all GMOs provide nutritional benefits, more and more GMOs

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are starting to be made specifically for their enhancement in nutrients, which will help GMOs
become a commodity among the health community. While the nutritional benefits of GMOs cannot
be understated, it is essential to recognize the economic benefits of GMOs.
GMOs hold many benefits, with the economy being quite a prominent one. Countries all
over the world can experience a major economic change thanks to GMOs. For example, the process
of producing and distributing genetically-modified papaya in India was said to be “low-cost,
organic, non-toxic, edible, biodegradable, eco-friendly, easily adaptable” (Rajasekharan 1440).
These benefits help the economy in a myriad of ways, and thanks to these variety of benefits the
economy can be affected more diversely. While GMOs production provide economic benefits, the
most critical factor of the economy and GMOs is an economic consumer’s perception and
acceptance of GMOs. To have a stable and flowing economy, it is essential that people invest and
willing to pay for a growing commodity such as GMOs. Perception is one of the main keys in
determining if GMOs can be beneficial to the economy. In a survey answered by French
consumers, the results indicated an “overwhelming opposition to GM foods” (Noussair, Robin,
Ruffieux 102). These results can be pointed to a lack of knowledge of the potential benefits of
GMOs, along with the general stigma of people viewing things made through scientific methods
as unnatural and wrong. Along with this survey, however, was an experiment that took place after
the consumers learned about the GMOs as a whole. The results indicated “35% of participants are
unwilling to purchase products made with GMOs, 23% are indifferent or value the presence of
GMOs, and 42% are willing to purchase them if they are sufficiently inexpensive” (Noussair,
Robin, Ruffieux 103). These results actually contrasted with the survey results, with the authors
stating “There is a surplus to be gained from the segregation of the market for food products into
a GMO-free segment and a segment allowing GMOs” (Noussair, Robin, Ruffieux 103). As more

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and more people become educated about GMOs, the public perception has started to grow and
become receptive to consume it. Despite the initial negative feedback, many of the consumers still
saw the potential of benefits of GMOs and were willing to invest in it. Given that GMO products
can provide a variety of benefits that can help the economy, along with a many consumers starting
to gain more approval for genetic engineering, the arrow is pointing upward for GMOs to become
a force in the future of human economy.
Farming and GMOs go hand and hand. The food many humans consume today are thanks
to farming and the art of raising crops. Farmers today however are in age where use of technology
is rapid and many forms of business are starting assimilate with technological use. With the rise
of GMOs, farmers are left with the dilemma of whether they should use GMOs for their crops and
products. Many argue that farmers face too many negatives in regards to GMOs, with the Penn
State University of Law stating farmers should be cautious of “private contractual relations
between farmers and seed companies, the environmental impacts of the technology, and the
potential impacts of consumer concerns (both domestic and international) on the market for GM”
(Kruft 1). Being that GMOs come from high-priced, big business technology firms, many farmers
are leery in commercializing their product with scientific means and prefer a more natural approach
to growing crops. While this approach is understandable, integration with GMOs can benefit
farmers in a much higher degree. Benefits of GM technology with farming include “increased crop
yields, diminished use of pesticides and herbicides, and increased profits” (Kruft 1). With
increased crop yields, farms can churn out more production and grow their supply. Diminished use
of pesticides and herbicides help regulate food safety and eliminate potential hazards pesticides
and herbicides commonly bring. Farmers find themselves in a position to expand their profits
through the use of GMOs. Many farmers said they “found a "significant increase" in net returns

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for herbicide-tolerant cotton crops and Bt cotton crops” (Kruft 2). Farmers have always been a
provider to human society, and considering the benefits that arise with use of GMOs in their
farming, farmers have the chance to enhance their productivity and livelihood. These
enhancements will benefit the farming society as they contribute mightily to the lives of human
beings.
Most developed countries can enjoy the benefits of GMOs, but lying in the outskirts are
developing countries. Developing countries struggle with many food and agricultural related
things, and being that they are well apart of human society, enhancement in these areas are in dire
need. GMOs are perfectly able to fulfill those needs, but some people within developing countries
do not view GMOs as a solution. The book The Politics of Precaution: Genetically Modified Crops
in Developing Countries points of that developing countries “with significant unsolved agricultural
development problems might be expected to take at least a pessimistic view of GM crop
technologies” (Paarlberg 43). This pessimistic view arises from things such as “farmers in these
nations might not stand to gain GM crop technology already successful in the use of the industrial
world” (Paarlberg 43). Developing countries are in a peculiar position of not being well integrated
in the world of technology. Because of this lack of integration, developing countries are creating
viewpoints and mindsets that do not benefit them. Having GMOs in their societies can help
developing countries sustain crops and increase productivity. Crops in these countries are more
often than not loss thanks to “diseases, and poor soils made worse by climatic conditions that favor
insect pests and disease vectors” (Herrera-Estrella 923). With the use of GMOs, crops in
developing countries “can generates strategies for crop improvement that can be applied to many
different crops. Genetically engineered virus resistance, insect resistance, and delayed ripening are
good examples of strategies that could potentially benefit a diversity of crops” (Herrera-Estrella

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923). Having these benefits can assist developing countries maintain a stable agriculture and
farming, which is crucial when it comes to getting people food to eat and maintaining business for
farmers. The benefits of GMOs are critical in helping developing countries enhance their standard
of living and become better member of human society.
In the end, while there are undoubtedly some negatives attached to GMOs, the benefits it
can provide are vital in enhancing human society. Humans have created a world where technology
is king, and with technology now becoming a mainstay in the future of society, GMOs have a
bright future down the line. GMOs were created to enhance the world of food, and this ideology
of enhancement is instinctive within human beings. As long as humans hold the desire to always
get better and continuing to improve, GMOs will be a prominent factor in the future of food and
human society.