Tomatoes are reddened and ripe, as if recently plucked from a homegrown garden. When
shopping in a grocery store, it does not matter the season. Fresh produce is always in stock. By
drawing upon the traditions of crossbreeding, modern biotechnology has created fresh, yearround produce that tastes and looks better than ever. These tomatoes, each a desirable shape and
color, are the products of modified organisms being introduced into the plant's genetic material.
GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are created when genes from different organisms are
spliced. The result is a supreme version of an organism that could not be naturally reproduced.
The use of GMOs breaks the ethical principle of non-maleficence by causing harm to the human
population, animals and the ecosystem.
As modern pioneers in gene splicing technology, there is little known about the long term
effects of GMOs; however, products filled with and created from GMOs are filling up shelves
and freezers in every American home. To date, there are no restrictions requiring for companies
to indicate their products have been genetically altered unless it contains one of the eight most
common allergens; milk, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. Inadequately labeled
modified organisms are potentially harmful to human health. Whenever crossing kingdoms,
genotypes that cannot possibly exist in nature are produced. Cross breeding plant and animal
genes can express an allergen as a trait or an entirely new form of allergy can be created. If
undetected, these allergens can harm human health and even fatalities depending on the severity
of the allergy.
The amplified number of GMOs has raised an unprecedented number of health risks and
violations not only to human health, but animal health as well. Animals have been commonly
injected with hormones as easy and effect means to increase food production. Animals grow
unnaturally fast, require less food, and must survive in harshly cramped areas. This affects the
quality of life of the animals as companies are only concerned with the poundage of meat each
animal can produce, not its personal wellbeing. The effects of GMOs can alter the traits of
animal offspring or permanently inhibit them from reproducing.
As animals and plants are being interbred, the wild population of a certain plant can
fluctuate or become extinct. This challenges the delicate balance of the ecosystem with the threat
of monoculture, the cultivation of a single organism. Monoculture can deplete food sources for
one animal, causing a change reaction and depleting entire population. These ecosystems are also
threatened as other organisms could be affected by the lack of diversity, therefore disrupting
food chains and the natural balance.
The use of GMOs is appalling. Without any laws regulating the labeling of GMOs many
humans are unknowingly partaking of these products. Even produce marked ‘organic’ can
riddled with altered genetic codes that contain new allergens and bacteria the body is not used to.
The livelihood of animals is being threatened, as GMOs alter their offspring making them
infertile.
However, the food industry has justified this malice practice by investing billions of
dollars into researching GMOs and creating artificial hormones to increase food production and
nutrition. Scientists can now grow foods in laboratories and mutate its chemical background. By
adding specific genes, the nutrition content can be engineered to have higher concentrations of
vitamins for populations that are lacking in specific nutrients. Economically speaking, these
genetically modified foods offer numerous benefits. Food products are substantially cheaper, due
to the excess of food and its availability. Genes can be added to extend the shelf life of produce
and protect crops to withstand extreme weather fluctuations.
But how far is one willing to risk altering the main sources of human sustainability? If
GMOs are continued to be used, the world will suffer devastating consequences. Humans may
suffer immune damages, animals are treated poorly, and the ecosystem is at risk of becoming
monoculture. Instead of relying on the natural human instinct to grow and cultivate, modern day
society is turning to a limited number of companies to determine what goes in the foods they eat.
Laws must be enacted to regulate the use of GMOs and companies should be required to specify
if their products contain any GMOs. But to ensure that future generations have natural and
sustainable resources, education is the strongest asset. While GMOs must be strictly regulated,
knowledge about the true power GMOs have is crucial. If humanity has a keen sense of what is
really in the foods they eat, they are more susceptible to make a change.