Debate Paper Christopher Seifert

The idea behind Genetically Modified or altered seeds and food has been brought up by

scientists for a long time. The only problem for them was why would anyone want to have their food

altered. Then when it became apparent world wide that there was a serious problem with hunger, it then

became an opportunity for scientists to profit off their newly found way of producing food. This topic

is considered controversial, by many on one side, because there are side effects that could result in the

death or harm of many other forms of life, including humans. And on the other side genetically mutated

foods or seeds are a way of feeding those in need and solving a problem that kills millions annually

world wide. I find this debate interesting because both sides have very strong arguments and, being a

democratic economist, I am torn between both sides. This paper will cover the negative and positive

outlooks on GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, and an analysis of the two sides accompanied

with my thoughts on the implementation of them world wide.

Many people are concerned with what they put in their bodies. Thus we have new stores like

Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Stores like these pride themselves on having food that is natural and

organic. Stores like Green Leaf in Santa Cruz, which are larger than most grocery stores in cities like

San Francisco, have not only natural and organic food but make a point to buy food that is grown local.

However, do these stores actually know what is in the products that they buy. "For example, people

who are allergic to nuts might have an extremely allergic reaction to a GM food that contains a gene

from nuts. The solution to this problem is proper labeling, warnings, and caution."(Pat Howard 2000,

Vol. 34 Issue 4, p5, 2p) There are no laws in the US for a food producers to provide what type of

ingredients are in their individual products. In a Consumer Reports investigation of products that

contained corn and soy bean; their results were “Genetically engineered ingredients were present in

everything from infant formula to corn-muffin mix to McDonald's McVeggie Burgers”(Consumer

Reports; Sep99, Vol. 64 Issue 9, p41) They stated in the article that they specifically searched out

products which did not state that any of the ingredients were genetically altered. This is alarming,
Debate Paper Christopher Seifert

considering some of the arguments that the critics of GMOs. The critics have long said that GMOs

cause disease along with a number of other health complications. With this in mind why would any

government allow farmers to cultivate any crops that contain genetically mutated seeds. And in fact that

is exactly what happened; “In 2002 Zambia, during a famine, rejected a cargo of donated corn because

it might have been tainted with the offending seeds.”(Forbes; 1/18/2010, Vol. 185 Issue 1, p64) Though

there is no solid evidence that there is any connection from GMOs to any health risks, it is not

something to take lightly. There are many different things that can stem from producing GMOs, but

nothing has been proven yet. It seems as if more research is not done, or the research that is in progress

does not continue, there could be very large consequences to the over use of GMOs in our food system.

Nobody knows GMOs as well as the company, Monsanto, which produces corn and soy bean

seeds. “In its fiscal 2009 Monsanto sold $7.3 billion of seeds and seed genes, versus $4 billion for

second-place DuPont” (Forbes; 1/18/2010, Vol. 185 Issue 1, p64) GMOs are a multi-billion dollar

industry that is trying to solve the world hunger problem. They are not trying to feed each person in the

world they are trying to help farmers cultivate in areas previously unfavorable for growing. This has

taken off in certain areas of Africa. The issue of feeding everyone in the world is attainable seeing as

how we have more than enough food to do so. The problem comes where governments do not allow

certain products to be produced. For instance in Europe most countries do not allow the cultivation of

any GMOs. While this does not have a large impact on the issue of hunger, because their reasoning is

more of a health issue than of safety concerns, it does set an example for countries like Zambia who

need the extra yield that comes with cultivating GMOs. The positives of GMOs come from their ability

to focus on the issues that different parts of the world need. Corn grows differently in every part of the

world, thus the genes of each variation need to be slightly altered to provide the farmers in each area

the ability to cultivate enough to satisfy their needs. With the technology we have now we can do just
Debate Paper Christopher Seifert

this. Farmers in Africa now have access to corn seeds that grow just fine in areas where drought is

common and water is scarce. Farmers in South America are benefiting from higher yields and

variations of plants that are resistant to insects and different types of pests that result in harm to the

plant and, thus, lower yields. With all the positives it seems like GMOs are the best plan of action to

feed the hungry people of the world.

The world is ruled by different economic factors and this is not just for the financial world. The

idea of food production has long been considered something one would do to provide for themselves.

As time would show, however, food production is a multi-billion dollar market through out the world.

And with millions of people hungry and dying because of hunger, one would think that there is

something the combined effort at all the levels of production in the food market to help out the people

that need it most. That is exactly what Monsanto has done by producing seeds that develop higher

yields faster and with out as many set backs as previously available to food producers. This has had the

biggest impact in developing countries, where the biggest portion of food insecure people reside. The

advancements in this area are monumental because GMOs have given the average farmer the ability to

grow crops as well as a professional farmer can cultivate with all the different technological advantages

they have available to them. “Brazil once blocked genetically modified plants, but farmers planted the

crops anyway, and it eventually legalized them.”(Forbes; 1/18/2010, Vol. 185 Issue 1, p64) It is obvious

that there is a demand in areas where the majority of the population is hungry. There is also a demand

in areas where the land is not that fertile, just as in the areas of Brazil and India. Developing countries

have more problems to deal with than feeding their population or regulating what food is grown in the

country. There is no negative that outweighs the positives from providing food and nutrients to hungry

people that have no other way of getting these daily necessities. In my opinion I think that GMOs are a

necessary tool in feeding the hungry at least for now. They are not a permanent fix and should be kept
Debate Paper Christopher Seifert

separate from the normal or the natural plant species. The GMOs will be especially necessary in the

feeding of hungry children that can not afford to miss nutrient filled meals so they can grow up to be

strong and healthy. GMOs will ultimately be the fix for the world in the area of hunger.

For the world to have enough food to feed the entire population, it seems unfair to those in need

that can not get access to the nutrients necessary for growing up strong and healthy. Most of the people

effected with hunger are children because most adults have the capacity to withstand longer periods of

time with out the necessary nutrients. This a very troubling issue for most of the worlds policy makers.

By just providing necessary food to the countries that are in need we will be ruining their ability sell

their own food products at a reasonable price. The food provided will dilute the marketplace with

cheaper food than they can produce, and thus the farmers will not be able to sell their food for a profit

at market. Stuck at a point where we can not just dump food on developing nations, GMOs are

necessary for the feeding of their hungry population. GMOs are the future and with out them developed

countries, like the USA, would not be in the place we are in now.