|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

Pros of GMO

The United States grows two-thirds of the genetically modified crops in the world and produces more genetically modified crops than any other country. Countries in other parts of the world are strongly against the use of GMOs because of concerns over decreased genetic biodiversity and negative health effects. For example, President Hugo Chavez implemented a ban on genetically modified seeds in Venezuela and the European Union previously had a ban on GM corn imported from the United States. Despite these controversies, there are many pros of using GMOs, in the opinion of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

  1. Faster Maturation

    • Genetically modified organisms grow faster and reach maturation earlier than non-GMOs. This helps increase profits because, for example, fisheries can bring salmon to market faster. Some types of genetically modified salmon can even grow three times as fast as non-GMO salmon. The FDA has approved genetically modified salmon for human consumption, but many organizations such as Green Peace are against GMO salmon because they are wary of what will happen if GMO salmon are accidentally released into the ocean and reproduce with non-GMO salmon.

    Disease & Pest Resistance

    • Genetically modified organisms have better resistance to pests, weeds and disease than non-GMOs. Many GMO plants in the United States are resistant to an herbicide called Roundup. Normally plants would die when sprayed with this herbicide, but GMO plants survive. This is beneficial for farmers because they can spray their crops with Roundup and kill weeds without destroying their crops.

    More Productive Farm Animals

    • Inserting genes into cattle can help increase the amount of milk they produce, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This would help farmers in small villages provide milk to more people who may rely on as few as one or two cows.

    Bigger Yields & Longer Shelf Life

    • Genetically modified crops have higher yields than non-GMO crops. This helps farmers grow large amounts of food on relatively small areas of land. GMO crops have a longer shelf life than non-GMO crops, which makes shipping easier, according to the Overseas Development Institute.

    More Nutritious Food

    • Inserting genes into crops can help produce more nutritious food. For example, scientists have inserted the gene responsible for producing Vitamin A's precursor into rice plants. As a result, the rice grains have higher levels of Vitamin A than nongenetically modified rice. This type of rice is commonly referred to as Golden Rice. Vitamin A deficiency is a major problem in developing countries and commonly leads to blindness. Some scientists believe Golden Rice is the solution to this problem because more than 50 percent of the world eats rice, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Nutrition - Related Articles