Genetically Modified foods: For and Against (Сочинения ЕГЭ английский язык)

Task: Discuss the reasons why genetically modified foods are dangerous for human consumption and what measures should be taken to reduce health risks

Genetically Modified foods: For and Against

In recent years the issue of genetically modified foods is getting more controversial and challenging. After GMOs have spread all over the world, many medical scientists sound the alarm. They stress that GM foods threaten the sustainable development of future generations.

Unlike proven organic foods which have been eaten for human history, GM foods may directly effect human health and have been linked to reproductive damage, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Furthermore, GMO crops may cause antibiotic resistance. There is mounting evidence of probable harm of GMOs. For instance, the article “Health

isks” by Jeffrey Smith claims that in the 1980s, a contaminated brand of a food supplement called L-tryptophan killed about 100 Americans and caused sickness and disability in another 5, 000-10, 000 people.

According to Smith, the disease took years to find, and it was only identified because the symptoms were unique.

Although there are no universal solutions to this problem, there have been some proposals dealing with the problem. One idea is to educate the public on the dangers of genetically modified foods.

esides, GM food consumption can be easily combated by developing new farming strategies and new breeding programs to protect the GMO-free food chain. A more radical suggestion involves passing more state laws requiring bans on genetically modified foods.

Whatever the solutions, any action would be difficult to implement because various food processing and agricultural companies have used GMO technology to make huge profits.

ig business employs lobbying companies to persuade government to meet their interests. Moreover, the pro-GMO lobbies push their own research to prove GMO safety. As a result, the contractual information and test results are not readily available to researchers.