Genetically Modified Foods Pros and Cons Research Paper

Genetically Modified Foods Pros and Cons - Research Paper Example A proposed benefit of GMO foods is that they may produce higher crop yields. This could help in feeding more people in the developing countries. They remain cited as more economical, in spite of the initial higher price of the seeds. The logic stands that they reduce the application of pesticides and herbicides besides reducing the manpower required to successfully growing them, which should translate into better financial gains. Genetically modified foods have improved food quality as another benefit. A tomato, for example, may be engineered to have a long shelf life in the market being still fresh (Weasel 91). Yet another advantage that stays believed to happen from GMO technology is that crops may be engineered to resist weather extremes and fluctuations. This implies that they can provide adequate yields and quality despite poor weather conditions. Another benefit is that GMO foods may be engineered to possess a high content of specific nutrients that lack in diets of specific local population crowd. The vitamin A. rich, GMO â€Å"golden rice† exist as an example of a GMO food that got engineered to have high nutrient levels (Weasel 95). Similar to the advantages of GMO foods, there also exist disadvantages of that come along with the technology. One worrisome issue in GMO foods is the aptitude of food to cause an allergy in the human body. Some of the genes employed in GMO technology might be from food that triggers allergies in some individuals. Inserting that gene into a different organism could cause the hosting organism to take that allergen as a characteristic. Alternately, a new allergen may be produced when genes mixes across different species (Weasel 98). Another potential downside to GMO technology is that other relevant organisms in the ecosystem may be harmed, which could lead to a lower biodiversity level. By