Pros and cons of genetically modified food Research Paper

Pros and cons of genetically modified food - Research Paper Example But what is vital is to know that whether the emergence of the genetically modified food comes as a blessing or a curse to the human kind. It’s a boon on one hand as it enables the farmers to grow crops in areas where standard crops cannot be grown, thereby feeding people as well as helping in generating income for the population in the developing nations. This also reduces the reliance on harmful and dangerous pesticides. But it has to be admitted as well that till date much has not been known about these foods and hence it is justifiable when some express their concerns about the effect of the food on the health of the animal and human. Some are also concerned about the effect it has on the environment and the local economies and most importantly on the biodiversity. (Freedman, 2009, pp. 4-5) The ongoing debate on whether these foods will stay in the market or will become an extinct cannot be answered directly but the present scenario is marked with the escalation in the dem and of these foods throughout the world economy. The Genetically modified food (GMF) has been readily adopted and accepted in the United States which still persists to grow since its appearance in the market. This GM variety products have been predicted to spread in the â€Å"big- four† (Weasel, 2009, p.198) industrial crops which includes the corn, cotton, soy and canola in United States. (Weasel, 2009, p.198) It is very unlikely that genetically modified food presents any direct risk to the human health but the distinctive nature of these foods may cause harm to the human health in the future, due to the transfer of the genes between the species while they are produced. Hence they have to be carefully monitored, as the outcome of transgene effect is still not predicted. Apprehension has also been expressed as to whether there is a possibility of allergic reaction due to the consumption of the genetically modified food. There is also a fear of possibility that the living bac teria which are present in the human gut may gain resistance to the antibiotics due to the presence of the marker genes in the transgenic plants. (Nottingham, 2003, p. 91) Now the question arises how the consumers have accepted the genetically modified food. There are two opposing viewpoints regarding this, According to the industry leaders the consumer accept these foods because there has been a willingness from the public to consume it. As taking the case of America, where most of the milk is produced by using the bST hormone despite the fact that bST free milk are freely available, but even then the sale of the bST hormone free milk were initially very weak and hence it has disappeared from the market. Some national Survey in US has confirmed the fact that consumer’s concerns regarding GM foods are less. While some are of the opinion that the consumers are extremely worried about the GMF and are keen to pay extra to avoid GM foods. (Radas, Teisl and Roe, 2008, p. 335) Intr oduction Genetically modified (GM) foods also known as the genetically engineered foods are produced by inserting genes into the DNAs of other species. There are several reasons for producing genetically modified foods like in some cases to prevent the incidence of allergies after they are being consumed while there are instances where they are being developed for the betterment of their

Influences of economics and marketing on relationships in the global Essay

Influences of economics and marketing on relationships in the global food supply chain - Essay Example Exporting countries benefit from increased revenues from trading of surplus items, importing nations gain access to vital food reserves (Arda et al., 2005). Growing industrialization and profit making objectives have made a deep impact on the way food is being produced and supplied to the consumers today (Deep and Dani, 2009). The food supply chain is deeply impacted by rising prices, inflationary trends, and growing demands of increasing population have increased food prices. This has also led to multi-tiered supply chains that increase the complexity of the whole logistics process (Sowinski, 2012). The food supply chain begins with the farmer producing the supplies and the food items produced are sold by the farmers either directly to the food processor or indirectly through cooperative groups. The processed food is then sold to distributors to be distributed to various retailers and marketers and from there the food is finally sold to the consumers (FAO, 2004). The role of the far mers in the food supply chain is hence limited to the food processors and cooperative groups that are responsible for selling the farm produce to various distributing agencies, factories or processing units. This pattern limits the transparency of the whole system and farmers do not benefit much from the complex supply chains (Fearne et al., 2000). The globalization of economies has increased consumerism trends within the nations and this has led to a dramatic growth in consumption of food and related items. In context of the food supply chain this also reflects a shift in food movement from local and regional levels to global levels (Dicken, 2011). This has added to the complexity of the food supply...Global food security and governance have become increasingly complex in the past few decades owing to a gradual shift from local to global food supplies. â€Å"The capacity of single households to ensure an adequate supply of food for its members is affected by developments from loca l to global. Increasingly even nation states are losing control over the factors that determine the food security of their populations†. Conclusion In spite of the fact that an abundant quantity of food is being produced on the planet, millions are starving. The primary reason behind this is the corporate control over the food supply. The supply, distribution and manufacturing of food products have been controlled by the corporate system. The process of globalization has contributed to the advancement of biotechnology and agribusiness, which from the business’ perspective is profitable. Most of the capital invested on the production of food and food products goes to non-farmers. With the virtue of global economy, the corporations and supermarkets are churning a huge amount of money, which contributes to the imbalance of power between the farmers, consumers and food corporations.