The Two Sides of Genetically Modified Food: Or Could Genetics Solve the Global Food and Environmental Crisis? A Short Summary (The Two Sides Series Book 2)

Genetic engineering or genetic manipulation is a set of techniques used to alter the genetic makeup of an organism to introduce desirable traits or eliminate unwanted ones. Such organisms are called genetically modified organisms - GMOs and any food obtained from adopting such a technique is called genetically modified food - GM food. Today, a large number of genetically modified crops, fruits, vegetables, and meat have made it to our market shelves, and many multinational companies manufacturing GM seeds have reached the top of the table in the agriculture industry globally.
These companies claim that GM crops are better and stronger than natural crops and have remarkable traits such as herbicide resistance, drought resistance, and pest resistance, as well as greater shelf life and increased nutritional values. However, GM food has been a target of various ethical and safety concerns, since their arrival in 1996. GM food is regulated and checked by various authorities before it enters the market.
There has been an ongoing discussion on whether GM crops are beneficial or not, with both sides presenting strong arguments. In this book, we want to demonstrate to the reader the positive and negative side of genetically modified food by looking at potential benefits and challenges from economic, environmental, health and other perspectives.
We obviously welcome the various positives GM Food brings and could bring in the future, but as we embrace it, we need to carefully manage the potential risks. This is why in the final chapter of this book we have provided a guide to help you stay in touch with the latest GM developments and learn what actions you could take and which organizations you could approach in case you see any worrying signs. We hope you will enjoy the read.