GMOs, are they Good or Bad?

Karen Tagulao - M.Sc. Biology. Lecturer, School of Arts, Letters and Sciences at USJ.

The science of genetic engineering has led to many advances in the field of agriculture which include modifying plant crops for favourable characteristics. The technique basically involves selecting one or more genes from one organism and inserting these into another organism.  In agriculture, genes from other organisms or species are inserted into plant crops to produce ones with better traits. For example, genes for insect resistance, originally from bacteria, are inserted into plants like corn, soybean, canola and cotton. These products of genetic modification are referred to as “genetically modified organisms” (GMO) or “transgenics”. The modification of the genetic material (DNA) in these organisms is done in a way that does not happen naturally.
Issues related to human health, environmental safety and conservation, labelling, ethics, and food security, among many others, have led to many controversies and debates about GMOs. There are both pros and cons to the production and consumption of GM crops.  Over a year ago, a seminar sponsored by the USDA titled “Agricultural Biotechnology, its Power and its Promise” was given in one of the universities in Macau. Yes, it is true, this technology has the “power” because of its potential to help alleviate the world’s hunger and malnutrition problems by enhancing the nutritional value of crops (e.g. vitamin enriched corn and Golden Rice)  and in some cases, increasing yields/harvest. They are also claimed to help protect and preserve the environment by reducing the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. However, there are many concerns regarding the safety of these products, both on human health and on the environment. The potential of these products to cause allergic reactions in humans and the potential environmental impact, like the possibility of cross-pollination of GM plants with other plants, unknown effects on other organisms and the reduction or loss of biodiversity, are some of the reasons for arguments against such crops. Just a few days ago, India halted the release of its first genetically engineered vegetable (eggplant) over safety concerns.
There are many challenges ahead of us in the areas of safety testing, regulation, policies and food labelling. When you go to the supermarkets in Macau, you can seldom find these labels on the food/food products; some of which, may contain GMOs or are GMOs. labelling of GM foods or products is a practice in a number of countries in order to provide the consumers with the choice between GMOs and non-GMOs. Our neighbour country, Hong Kong, for example, practices voluntary labeling of any food items with 5% or more GM materials. The question is, are people in Macau concerned about this? What regulations are there for genetically modified foods/crops in Macau? Are there requirements for GMOs to be labeled in a special way? Do consumers in Macau want labels on food crops stating that they are genetically modified? Would such labels benefit most of the consumers here? Why might we want labels and why might we not want them?
GMOs are developed through genetic engineering, a very powerful technology with many potential benefits not only in food production but also in medical science (e.g. production of insulin, vaccines) and research. However, we must be very cautious and responsible with the use of this technology to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment. As Uncle Ben says in “Spider-man”: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Are GMOs good or bad? It is a matter of personal decision.

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