Genetically modified food: A new taste of life [Archives:2007/1044/Reportage]
Khalil Mohammed
For Yemen Times
Have you ever been offered a sweet potato or a dish of rice with increased iron and vitamins? Have you ever encountered bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases like Hepatitis B; fish that mature faster; fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier or plants that produce new plastics with unique properties?
All of the above suggestions have become possible with what's undoubtedly the most powerful technology the world has ever known – genetically modified food.
In the 1990s, a new taste of life began with the first commercially grown genetically modified tomato, which was made more resistant to rotting and given a longer shelf life.
It was welcomed by consumers, who purchased it at two to five times the price of standard tomatoes.
Genetic modification is a specialized set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of living organisms such as plants and animals, whose offspring are improved organisms with valuable and important traits. Genetically modified plants are grown commercially in more than 20 countries on six continents. In 2006, approximately 102 million hectares were planted with transgenic crops, mainly soybeans, corn, cotton and canola.
Will people accept it?
People have differing attitudes toward this new technology, which is being produced by large companies in more than 20 countries worldwide.
“I think this technology is designed to solve Third World nations' [nutritional] problems,” University student Khalid Al-Qudami asserts.
Regarding whether he'll accept being supplied with genetically modified food instead of its conventional counterpart all of his life, Al-Qudami declared, “I need only healthy food, whatever it is. I trust what these companies produce.”
To the contrary, some others maintain their fears and reservations about this dominant new technology. “I don't accept being a subject for these experiments. I won't trust these products until I see industrial nations consume them without fear,” farmer and agricultural engineer Abdullah Al-Muntasir says.
Housewife Nouria Ali views the phenomenon from a different angle. “It seems nice to offer your children a dish with varying types of nutrients in it. The only thing I need is just good health for my children,” she noted.
However, she has her own opinion about the phenomenon. Although she basically accepts the idea, Ali refuses to submit her nutritional life into the hands of human scientists. “Scientists know little about the consequences of such technology. If conventional crops disappear, they won't be able to return them,” she warned.
The genetically modified food debate
Supporters say genetically modified crops can be cultivated for superior flavor, nutritional value and pest resistance, with higher yields and lower production costs.
In a press release, Sara Stanner of the British Nutrition Foundation pointed out that there is growing evidence that certain chemicals in plants have a beneficial impact on health. “There are clear benefits associated with this type of genetically modified food, but also concerns about safety aspects,” she admitted.
Though the developments seem promising, genetically modified foods may not be welcomed by all, with critics fearing that scientists are creating a monster, about which they know little.
Is it wise to alter Earth's species by tampering with DNA? Is it wise to splice DNA from one species into another's genetic code, e.g., from a fish to a strawberry? Will there be unforeseen, frightening consequences for Earth's ecosystems or will the result be abundant, high-quality food to feed the world's hungry? These are the questions heard repeatedly in the genetically modified food debate.
The hidden agenda of genetically modified technology
Some argue that the world has more than enough food and that the hunger crisis is caused by problems regarding food distribution, not production. They believe the increasing use of genetically modified major crops has caused an agricultural power shift toward biotechnology firms, which are gaining excessive control over the production chain of crops and food, as well as over farmers using their products, especially those in developing nations.
Mohammed Abdul Haleem, a student in Sana'a University's agriculture college, was doing a comparative study on the production quality factors of both conventional wheat and its modified counterparts. Unfortunately, he suspended his study because he couldn't find a pure model for conventional wheat among all concerned authorities, as they only have imported modified ones.
Opponents of genetically modified technology believe it's simply a type of food “monopolization” by large production companies and an attempt to economically control the world. “Some companies producing such products throw their crops into the sea and don't distribute them in order to keep their prices high on the world market,” farmer Al-Muntasir alleges.
Additionally, he points out, “The imported tomato seeds we have on the local market are unable to produce a second productive generation of seeds. As we are unable to produce such technology, if the natural seeds run out, we'll have to import the seeds all our life.”
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