Everywhere you go in your grocery store, you see the label “non-GMO.” From cereal boxes to produce, you see that everywhere alongside the words, “organic,” and “natural.” Nowadays after seeing those labels all of our lives, we instantly associate it with being a good trait of the products we buy. In our minds, it sounds like the product is healthy or safe.

However, when digging deeper into the matter, it may not be exactly what we think it means.

A strong stigma towards GMO products have grown over the past few decades. A 2016 source from the Pew Research Center has shown that a good amount of the general public tends to have a negative opinion towards GMO products. About 40% of Americans say that genetically modified food is bad for your health.

First things first: what is GMO? To put it simply, genetically modified organisms are organisms that have changed in their genetics. While it may sound complicated, humans have been genetically modifying plants and animals for thousands of years. We have selectively chosen organisms that would be most beneficial for us, which gradually evolved to the food products we have today.

However, the major concern is coming from a fairly recent process of genetically engineering since the 1970s, where people can directly modify the genetics of crops through biotechnology. This revolutionary process has led to new possibilities, such as being able to change the DNA of a plant to allow it to grow in a certain environment, or being able to develop an immunity against certain pests. It can also lead to fortifying plants with certain nutrients that weren’t inherently available before.

So why are people afraid of GMOs?

The aforementioned benefits should indicate that GMOs shouldn’t be detrimental to society, so why are people always scared of genetic modification?

Many of the fears usually root from misinformation through marketing tactics and bad science. It’s no wonder that practices from companies have lead to many misconceptions of genetic engineering, as their repetitive labels have been ingrained into our brains, making us feel like everything needs to be “natural.” People in general don’t like the idea that there are chemicals in their food, even though everything is made of chemicals. It doesn’t help that 52% of people barely know anything about GMOs, with 19% knowing pretty much nothing at all, according to a Pew study.



From the Pew Research Center

Should we be concerned about genetic engineering?

One of the first things that come to mind when being skeptical of GMO products is the idea of whether they’re safe or not. The main criticism comes from the practices that come with genetically modified crops.

Many crops have been modified to become herbicide-resistant, which enables farmers to use more weedkillers, without harming the crop itself.

There is a lot of backlash against the use of herbicides and pesticides, as they can be carcinogenic towards humans, which means that it could lead to cancer. However, the main herbicide that’s used, glyphosate, is known to be less toxic than other pesticides. The increasing use of weedkillers could develop a resistance for weeds, which could mean that more glyphosate may be needed to kill them. That would mean that genetically modified crops will be sprayed with more herbicides.

Numerous sources have stated that in general, GM plants are relatively as safe as “organic” foods, and may be less risky as they don’t require as much of the more harmful pesticides.

However, economically speaking, this means that farmers would be encouraged to use and buy more herbicides, which may be fairly costly.

In this sense, yes, there are certain aspects of GMO farming which we have to change for more “cleanliness,” but it’s mainly the methods taken by agricultural cooperation that’s harming the environment, not genetic modification in and of itself. In this situation, businesses need to be accountable for using a harmful unsustainable model, but this doesn’t argue against the benefits of genetic modification.

Are GMOs environmentally friendly?

When people think about modifying crops with biotechnology, immediately they would think that some weird bizarre scientific horror is occurring, going against the natural order. People who have very little knowledge of GMOs may come to the conclusion that genetically modified crops are harming the environment, even thought it could actually be the very opposite.

As GM crops have become insect-resistant, pesticide use has significantly dropped. Over twenty years (from 1996-2016), pesticide use has decreased by 8.2%, which is about 671.4 million kg of pesticide spray. Even with the widespread use of herbicides, specifically the glyphosate variant, farmers have utilized better practices, and the overall use of pesticides in general has decreased. These benefits lead to more efficiency in usage of land space.

Crop yields have also been far more successful due to the genetic modifications that have made plants more resistant to illnesses and insects. This increased crop yields by about 22% in 20 years.

Effects on carbon emissions

While there is an increased amount of herbicide use, this also means that there is less need of tillage, which also lowers the carbon footprint from farming. Thus, less fossil fuels for farmers are required. Soil also holds about 2,500 gigatons of carbon dioxide, which gets released through tillage. When practicing a more conservative form of tillage, minimal amounts of carbon dioxide is released from the soil.

Tillage takes a lot of resources, and often ruins soil health. Photo by Brad Halcrow on Unsplash

Effects on soil and water

Tilling in general is an arduous task that takes a lot of time and effort. But less of it may also be beneficial to the health of soil. Tilling the soil is known for damaging it, which makes the soil less effective in harboring nutrients and less intact, making it more susceptible in being eroded. By making crops herbicide-resistant, tilling isn’t as necessary.

As a side benefit, when the weeds are killed, they can be used as a sheet to further protect from soil erosion and allow for more water retention. In turn, this would mean that fewer resources are needed, and crop yields will be far more successful. Many experimental GM crops also have the trait of requiring less water.

Do GMOs have the same nutritional value as “organic” foods?

Another major concern that people have for GMO products is whether or not they are as nutritious when compared to their “natural” counterparts. Most sources show that the nutrition of the two types of products is virtually the same. It’s also possible that genetic modification could lead to more nutritious crops.

In 1999, scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology developed a GM crop called “golden rice,” which has a notably deep yellow color. The color comes from the beta carotene (vitamin A) that is produced in the rice crop. Many fields in the Philippines are growing the golden rice, as there was a vitamin A deficit among many Asian countries.

Golden Rice grain compared to white rice grain in screenhouse of Golden Rice plants.

The Verdict

The possibilities that come from biotechnology has revolutionized agriculture. As shown in the past twenty years of genetic modification, general pesticide use has dropped significantly, as well the release of carbon emissions, and this will continue if we keep moving in this direction.

GMOs shouldn’t be demonized as something that is unnatural or hazardous for the environment. Instead, the immoral practices of corporate business should be the aspect of GM farming that must be protested and stopped. There are an infinite number of opportunities that could result from this, such as adding certain nutrients to crops that weren’t there before.

In the future, crops could be genetically modified to provide certain resources for oils, vaccines, or medical uses. The future of GMOs is endless, and we shouldn’t be encouraged to stop or vilify the use and consumption of GMO products.