Safety of Genetically Engineered Food Crops - Research Paper

Introduction

Genetically engineered crops are plants that have been genetically designed, altering their original characteristics and enhanced to suit the needs of the consumer. This mainly is done to sustain its generation against harsher environments. However, there have been concerns about the safety of these food crops, and the debate has been endless. Manufacturers engineer the genetic modification in the plants, for the sole purpose of injecting desirable traits as well as sustain the crops in the ever-changing environmental conditions (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). During this process, the safety of the crop may be tampered with and quality of the food crop affected. This is despite their desire to protect the crop from extinction. In most cases their durability is extended, nutritious characteristics enhanced and toughness increased to withstand harsh environments and make them more resistant to diseases.

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New Regulations

There have been regulations manning the growth of genetically modified plants either for experiments or for commercial farming (Raman, 2017). This has been in place since the inception of genetically modified crops in the food industry. Since the introduction of GM crops, the understanding of genetically modified crops has changed in modern times, and their scientific evolution requires new regulations (Key, Ma & Drake, 2008). For example, in the UK an insect resistant maize plant is the only authorized commercial GM crop that has been approved for human consumption. It was mainly designed to boost food security as it can resist the persistent metamorphosizing crop destructive insects. No other GM crop has yet been approved in the UK for human consumption including fresh fruits and vegetables. However, in the United States, more than 117 commercial GM food crops have been released since 1992 as well as China which has issued 3 permits for commercial GM crops.

The need for new regulations is paramount given the fast-moving technology and innovation methods in the food industry. For example, currently in Canada, they use a product-based approach in determining the safety of a GM crop, and as such, without updating the old regulations, it will be challenging to maneuver through the new advancements. New genomic editing techniques introduced in the development of GM crops, in recent times is also a concern. These techniques require new regulations to enable smooth operation by engineers and manufactures (Godheja, 2013). The regulations keep in check, the development of GM crops or food as well as their movement from the country of origin to another. Any intention to develop a GM crop requires authorization from all bodies concerned. EFSA the European Food Safety Authority is tasked with approving all applications to develop or cultivate newly introduced genetically modified crops within Europe. The local authorization is later done to regularize and manage their progress. Recent changes to the policies have given local authorities the responsibilities to opt in or out of the cultivation of a GM crop authorized at the EU level. This is done efficiently when the applicant supplies relevant details of declining a particular cultivation process to the EU. The details include characteristics of the plant, DNA information of the plant, and results from the trials. In this regard, new regulations are a necessity in the current technological advancements to help in managing and controlling the whole genetically modified crops industry.

Scientific Data/Testing

According to the committee on Genetically Engineered Crops, plants generated through genetic breeding processes may not be safe for human consumption (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016). Testing of the GM food crops is vital as this confirms the fears of their safety for human consumption. Testing is done for regulation purposes mainly by the government, and the methods include chronic or acute animal toxicity testing, prediction or allergenicity testing and chemical composition testing. Chronic toxicity testing can be done orally, dermal or the exposure done via inhalation. The choice of the route chosen for the process depends on the chemical characteristics of the test chemical. These test results are intended to show possible future hazards that may occur thus the need for critical health observation of the animals. The chronic toxicity test has the following objectives including identifying the toxicity of a chemical, identifying target organs that may be affected, prediction of the effects of toxicity in humans and provision of information to be used in a mode of action in hypothesis testing.

Allergenicity testing involves testing the side effects GM foods may have on humans after consuming the foods. Consumption of corn has health effects on humans (Huang, 2017). Signs of gastrointestinal illness were observed from the humans who participated in the test by consuming corn. In this regard, this test is vital as it has helped prevent future occurrence of the illness as a result of consuming such corn of GM origin. Chemical composition testing involves the determination of the amounts of the chemical in the various GM foods. The chemical content varies in different GM crops products, and this gives the main uniqueness as it is the basis for their comparison. When a chemical test is carried out on two varieties of a similar GM crop, and a varying difference realized in their chemical composition the substantial equivalence should be established. Safety test may be needed for further clarification on their differences to ensure they are safe for human consumption. In this regard, it has been found that Chemical composition tests carried out on GM foods make them relatively comparable to conventional foods.

Specific Lawsuits, Cases, and Outcomes

The potential of genetic contamination from GM crops cannot be underestimated. It is an excellent precaution to consider before falling victim as a farmer by planting contaminated GM plants that might leave your farm suffering post effects of GM crops (Raman, 2017). The gene might escape from the original crop even after harvesting and mixes into the wild. A local farmer affected by such an occurrence may not be in a position to demand accountability from the responsible organizations, given the complex roles of public and private regulations regarding GM crops. It will undoubtedly prove difficult for a court of law to determine the source of foreign genes exposed into the farmers land, given the variety of vegetables that may have been planted previously or due to cross-pollination which cannot be ruled out as anything is possible with natural and climatic implications.

There are obstacles that cooperation may face at the bilateral level whenever an association is faced with the challenge to open a new branch in the EU country and originally was located in the US, it will prove difficult when dealing with GM crops. This is because of the sharp differences in regulations and policies and may hinder such a transaction at the bilateral level. The international legal framework may have an impact on the domestic laws in that, a country that lacks GM crops regulations may have no choice but to accept the international laws to prevail in their land and allow the introduction of GM crops and food into the country. This may have a devastating impact on the country's economy as the market may be receptive or negative to the products depending on the wide perception of the citizens regarding the GM crops. Concerned business cooperation that may be affected by such an occurrence may retaliate with lawsuits to claim compensation in cases of loses or bridging of business space. Prosecuting such cases involving international laws may be a complex affair and difficult to determine the outcome as the regulations may be contradicting and courts may lack the jurisdictions of prosecuting such a matter of such magnitude.

Impacts of GM Food Crops on the Cost of Outbreaks in Farming

Engineered genes in the GM crops pose a potential risk when the genes escape into wild populations. This is the main reason as to why, research is done before the introduction of GM crops, to understand the effects of the new genes into the wild and the marketplace (Raman, 2017). The persistence of the newly introduced gene in the wild environment after the harvest of the GM crops, may affect the stability of other plans and consequently lead to loss of biodiversity and increase the use of chemicals in the agriculture industry. There are various risk assessment methods used by most countries in the understanding of interactions between the environment and GM crops. The methods include assessing their impacts on non-target species in the environment, assessing whether the remnants of harvested GM crops might persist in the wild longer than usual and invading other habitats, and the likelihood of gene transfer from the GM crops to other organisms. These methods assist in planning means of combating the potential risks resulting from the introduction of new GM crops in the wild. In this regard, proper prior planning is essential to managing potential future risks that are associated with genetically modified crops, thus minimizing the cost of outbreaks.

Outbreaks resulting from GM crops farming can be costly and can be controlled in various ways. GM crops containing herbicide tolerance and pest resistance traits lead to reduced use of herbicide and pesticide use respectively, these minimize the cost of farming in terms of purchasing farm chemicals. GM crops with increased tolerance to harsh environmental conditions reduce the potential of hunger as the food crops can withstand dry seasons and grow to yield after a seasoned period, In this regard, genetically engineered crops play a considerable part in global food security as well as ensure a reduced cost of food production.

Medical Advances

GM crops have emerged as a positive tool in combating some of the current diseases that initially were a challenge to cure. GM microbes, animals and plants have revolutionized the production of pharmaceuticals that enable the creation of cheaper and safer medicines. Various GM medical developed products have proved crucial in the medical industry (Raman, 2017). They include products in pharmacy such as hepatitis B a vaccine that is produced by GM baker's yeast and edible vaccines produced by plants that are under development among others. The edible vaccines are made of antigen protein that is absorbed into the bloodstream the time it is consumed. When the protein is incorporated into the body, it stimulates the production of antibodies that boost the immune system and hence protecting the body against external medical attacks. This can be a safe, cheap and convenient way to produce vaccines that can be of help in developing countries without electricity in the rural areas and lack refrigeration capacity of their medicine. This can help save lives and hence an advantage to the medical industry.

These medical advances have gone a notch higher in modifying the genes of both insects and animals to give improved breeds and more resistant to harsh environments among others. The current struggle to minimize parasitic diseases has led to the discovery of GM mosquitoes that prevent the entry of malaria parasite. This disrupts the life of the insect hence rendering it malaria-resistant. This has been a positive development and hence will render the mosquito malaria-resistant. This technology has further advanced and allows the genetic engineering processes being carried out on humans. This gene therapy helps in the treatment of various disease including cancer and metabolic disorders. Medical advancement through the GM...