Introduction
Food is integrally entwined with places, culture, environment, and ethics. Food is a commodity no human can do without, it’s an essential substances that synthesis the rate of our growth and other body metabolism to a larger extents.This greatly relates it’s important to human sustenance and existence.
While the use of biotechnology tools for genetic engineering has vividly evolve in the trends of information technologies, the application of these tools are strongly affecting almost all aspect of our life where what we consume is not an exemption. As this science grows, so do our perceptions and understanding to the products we produce especially with the preparation, growth and marketing of foods/plants products.
Even though many other aspect of human endeavor rightly uses this tools and technology well, the larger aspect negatively uses it which on daily basis pose a deadly effect to our health.
I was prompted relating this information after watching a video where GMOs were greatly use on some vegetables to boost the farmers sale at the market not minding the health implication on the final consumers, also with an experience from a colleague who bought a fruit (Banana) some days ago and start having a running stomach immediately after its consumption which was medically diagnosed to have resulted from the consumption of a GMOs product.
GMOs
This therefore bring us to the question “What is GMOs, its Effect and Regulation across the Nation and many more. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute 2013, Center for Eco genetic and Environmental Health, in 2015, nearly 180 million hectares were planted with genetically-engineered crops worldwide. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)are organisms (plant animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has being altered in a way that does not occur naturally by sex between animals and or natural recombination. The technology is usually called modern biotechnology/gene technology/recombination. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, same between non-related species.
To a layman language, the above means a forcefully alteration to the developmental process of food or animal substances/products to beat the natural time of maturity and harvest, boost sale and quantity of such product in the market, attracts more customers and the like.
It’s so unfortunate that our present society however never minds all this genetic alteration or processes but rather on having the means in getting the food or product to their table, likewise the farmers/stakeholders/engineers/biotechnologist who engaged in genetic modification organism never care about the health implication but for them to smile to their respective abode after a merry production/sale.
Reasons and Effects of GMOs
In some cases, according to findings and research works such as that of Institute for Responsible Technology, on GMOs, they are sometimes grown as a resistance against insects/herbicide tolerance, virus safe for human consumption. Some GMOs have been approved by regulatory agencies for commercial production and consumption, while others are currently undergoing regulatory evaluation.
Strong scientific techniques have caused dramatic expansion of genetically modified crops leading to altered agricultural practices posing direct and indirect environmental implications. Despite the enhanced yield potential, risks and biosafety concerns associated with such GM crops are also a fundamental issues to be addressed.
GMOs harm the environment; birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms by reducing bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable.Do not increase yields, and work against feeding a hungry world, attack and suppress independent research and documentation. When we avoid GMOs, we contribute to the coming tipping point of consumer rejection, forcing giving them no choice than not to supply food.
Need for Consumer Protection Choice and Food System Trust
Food-safety scandals place consumer trust under pressure.Alternative food-provisioning schemes may introduce innovative ways of building consumer trust. Consumers anywhere should at least have trust in the national government and the media on information about the safety of conventional food.
Consumer trust in food can be established in different ways, including through personal relationships or various institutional arrangements established by government, private companies and/or civil society organization. conducting a hazard analysis, identify hazards and the needed controls, establishing critical limits for each control point, monitoring procedures, corrective action procedures, verification procedures.
Everyone who has a little or more interest in the food supply chain such as the individuals, organizations, communities, agencies and governments biotechnology firms, organic and conventional farmers, farm workers, fishermen, religious groups, ecologists, engineers, toxicologists, risk analysts, doctors, politicians, parents, children, non-governmental organizations, and advocacy organizations should all put head together and collectively address this issues through means such as creating more awareness on social media, printed information outlets, constant encouraging and meeting policy maker on the need to enact laws that will maximize GMOs usage and production, arrest and prosecute offenders where necessary; though in practice not every stakeholder/group is likely to get equal say in the debate due to reasons like power structures, economics, and access to information.
– Kareem Onivehu
For: BARNSCONNECT
