Is GMO Corn Actually Harmful?

          By definition, “A GMO is an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques

genetic engineering so that its DNA contains genes not normally found there. “Note: A high percentage of food crops, such as corn and soybeans, are genetically modified.” GMO’s have been a largely debated topic within the last 20 years, and will continue to be debated on until proven that they are or are not harmful for human consumption. However, as of now there is no study that has proven GMO’s are harmful for human consumption.

            GMO’s are found in many foods today including corn, soybeans, and many other cash crops along with foods you may find in the grocery store. One main reason people shy away from GMO’s is they do not know how the “long term” side effects will affect people. Numerous studies say that when a food has its genetics modified or tampered with, it can become harmful for human consumption. Some people also question whether or not it is morally right to modify creation. The USDA and other government organizations have tested these GMO foods and have come up empty handed with anything that suggests GMO foods are harmful for human consumption. Many people still do not believe the USDA, and claim that GMO’s are harmful and should not be eaten by people.

First off, GMO’s have been tested and evaluated by various government agencies and nothing has been found that suggests they are harmful. On the other hand, the majority of Americans think that Protein Powder and workout supplements are safe and effective. The USDA refuses to evaluate these, so what is posted on the label does not have to be true at all. People will not trust the USDA when they claim something is not harmful, but when they refuse to test and evaluate something people go ahead and take for example the workout supplement.

            Another factor that makes GMO’s appealing is they increase the yield availability in a field. For example, GMO corn has a greater yield potential and also has resistance to drought, insects, disease, stalk rot, and many other problems that Non-GMO corn faces. Going along with that, greater yields means being able to feed more people and if you believe the argument that our population will double in 50 years, then GMO corn is a start to producing more food to feed those people. Right now, there are still starving people in the world and many countries including China will not buy GMO corn or foods to feed their people even though they do not have enough food to eat.

            The final example of people being ignorant toward GMO’s is the original corn plant itself. The original corn plant looked almost like a bush you would see in someone’s landscape around their house. It had over thirty leaves and produced very few kernels of corn. There is very little original corn left, so how did we get the plant we have today? We changed genetics, combined genetics of multiple plants, and even added special genetics to plants. So when people claim that messing with genetics is bad, and they won’t eat genetically modified corn, they turn to Non-GMO corn. But isn’t that same corn genetically modified to get from the original corn plant to the current one? It is.

            Usually when something has been tested and/or evaluated, then found to be not harmful to people, it means it is ok to eat. I believe that GMO’s are safe until proven harmful, so why can’t people figure out that the benefits outweigh the few problems present. GMO’s can help feed a world which may double in 50 years, and may be the key to solving world hunger in famished areas of the globe. Until we see hard proof that GMO’s are bad, why can’t we put them to good use?