Genetically modified foods (GM foods) are also known as transgenic food, biotech food and genetically engineered food.

The question is ‘What are GM foods?’ Bangladesh Food explains.

GM foods are largely characterised as foods that have been produced from crops that have had their genetic makeup changed to give the crop a more desirable characteristic. This procedure is known as gene splicing or recombinant DNA. This change to the genetic makeup of crops is done in a laboratory although there is an argument that crops that are produced through conventional means can also be The modification is usually done in the lab using molecular techniques or genetic engineering although there are others who would argue that crops produced through conventional breeding can also be regarded as GM foods.

The first crop to be submitted for approval was a tomato in 1994. It was put on the market that same year. There are now over 100 Gm foods now available on the shelves in some countries that include corn, squash, potato, papaya, rice and wheat to name but a few. There are countries where 70-75 percent of the processed foods available to the public possibly contain ingredients that have been genetically altered.

GM Food Benefits
There are many people across the globe who suffer from hunger and poverty due to the world population reaching an all time high. Support for GM foods comes from different areas such as economists, scientists and as expected from the agricultural and food industries. The argument that GM foods can be grown to high yields and are easier to grow than regular crops is the main reason behind such support as it is a way in which to tackle world hunger.
GM foods are designed and developed to be more resilient to pests, disease and drought which make them an attractive option to poverty stricken parts of the world. Gm foods have actually been with us for hundreds of years. In a much more subtle way in where foods are cross bred to create a number of varieties of a particular food type such as tomatoes.
GM foods can fight malnutrition. In a world suffering from malnutrition, GM foods can answer the need for more nutritious food.

Another advantage of GM foods is that it is better for the environment that the traditional insecticides and synthetic fertilizers needed to produce non GM crops. In addition GM foods can assist medicine in that they can be used to produce pharmacological products in molecular farming. This basically means that foods can be grown with antibodies, biopharmaceuticals and edible vaccines.

There are a number of agencies that regulate the production of GM foods which means that the creators of GM foods assure us that they are safe and GM foods are safe. The creators of GM crops are quick to assure that GM foods are safe and cause no threat to our health.

GM Food Issues
There are a number of groups against the production of GM foods like scientists, environmentalists, and consumer groups. There is a belief that GM foods are for profit and therefore not all business that produce GM foods are doing so for the right reasons.

The use of GM foods across the globe is virtually unregulated and going through the regulatory agencies is done so on a voluntary basis. The opposing groups to GM foods are calling for more regulations and controls to be placed on the production and use of GM foods. There are concern in regards to cross-pollination with pollens from GM plants to non-GM plants and what these effects could be. The development of resistant strains of bacteria is another major concern as this will be inevitable as bacteria is a form of life that will evolve to ensure it survives.

There is a fear that GM foods may have an impact on human health due to the crops containing new compounds that we know virtually nothing about. We may not be aware of any adverse effects for many years to come. A European study done in a previous year has determined that organic foods are definitely better for us than the GM foods.

It is not easy to settle the issue of the risks and benefits of GM foods. There is a pressing need for more food production and it appears that GM foods are the best way to tackle this need.