ImpactGenetically modified food is a huge asset to our society. As a whole, it definitely has a positive effect. Some benefits of genetically modified foods are the enhanced taste and qualities, more nutrients, and helps resist certain diseases. It also helps to conserve our natural resources. Perhaps one of its biggest asset is that it increases the security of foods for populations that are growing.
Social Impact: Some crops are genetically modified to be herbicide and insect-resistant. In effect, this benefits our farmers because they do not need to spend extra money to spray the resistance on their crops. This also helps society because there will be fewer insects and possibly lower prices. There have also been genetically modified foods in order to enable crops to survive harsh weather conditions. Some foods have even been engineered to protect against infectious diseases such as bovine spongiform (mad cow disease) and hepatitis B. Many foods have also been modified to produce earlier so that more products may be produced quicker.
Political Impact: Genetically modified foods have definitely taken the front seat to the local, organic farmers. So many benefits have been observed through the modified foods, that it has quickly become far more popular. The United States is the biggest producer of genetically modified foods currently followed by Brittan. However, other countries have attempted to ban the importation of genetically modified foods. They believe it as unhealthy and has too big of a risk. The consequences of banning GMO’s are great so countries must eventually learn to either accept the genetically modified foods or deal with insufficient foods.
Economic Impact: Because genetically modified foods are so popular, companies often get their products patented. They do this to protect the product they have made from other competitive companies. They want to do this because of all the time and money they have put into discovering their product. In turn, this increases the price of the product for its consumers because there is no competition for the producers. However, the price of the GM products to consumers may be higher or lower than organic products. It can be challenging to map out the true economic impact of genetically modified foods because each product is different from others. Their prices change due to their complexities and makeup. |
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