1. Food can be made more nutritious or can be made to last longer or resist bacterial invasions better. 2. Fewer inputs of water and fertilizer are necessary due to chemical influences. 3. More food at a lower cost. 4. Food that grows faster and has more desirable traits.
There is an ever-present debate about the value that GM have in the world today. Some nations have even banned it; in the European Union, it is necessary to state whether or not the product is GM on the nutrition label.
CONS
1. Genetic changes may have undocumented side effects that could cause the spread of allergens and carcinogens. According to the health channel of the Australian government, "During laboratory testing, a gene from the Brazil nut was introduced into soybeans. It was found that people with allergies to Brazil nuts could also be allergic to soybeans that had been genetically modified in this way and so the project was ceased." 2. Antibiotic resistance might create a super-bacterial infection that cannot be combated if all of our supply depends upon GM food, we are not assured food security. 3. Modified organisms might out-compete the original organism by Gause's competitive exclusion principle, leading to a lack of biodiversity. 4. Cross-contamination and cross-breeding could create even bigger bacterial infections.
My Food is Modified?!
Yes. Yes, it is.
Genetically modified food is food that has been genetically manipulated by the insertion of genes to cultivate a favorable characteristic such as longevity or bacterial resistance. It is a technique used in biotechnology to allow for the continuation of these characteristics for human benefit. Maize, potato, canola, soybean, rice, squash, cotton, wheat, alfalfa, and pineapples can all be genetically modified. The reason why GM foods became a quick phenomenon is because a non-related species' gene could be transfused into another species genome; this was impossible with traditional breeding methods. For example, the vitamin A gene can be extracted from daffodils and put into white rice, forming GM golden rice - this can aid with vitamin A deficiencies all over the world.
Although this is not very recent data, this is an indication of the rapid increase in popularity for GM crops and foods. Should we be concerned?