Benefits of GM FOOD

Genetic modification can be used to increase crop yield and reduce crop loss by making plants tolerant to pests, weeds, herbicide, viruses, insects, salinity, pH, temperature, frost, and drought. Insect resistant corn, soybean, cotton, potato and apples, virus resistant cantaloupes, squash, papaya, cucumber, and herbicide tolerant corn, tomatoes, potatoes, canola and soybean have all been produced.


Improved shelf - life, e.g.Flar Savr tomato , and organoleptic quality of foods.


Improved nutritional quality and health benefits, e.g. oils with an improved fatty acid profile, higher lycopene levels in tomato and peppers, golden rice with provitamin A, allergen free rice and peanuts.


Improved protein quality and quantity (cassava) or increased content in essential amino acids.


Increase in food carbohydrate content, e.g., potato with a high solids contents, which makes it useful for making French fries.


Edible vaccines and drugs, e.g., banana with proteins that may be used as vaccines against hepatitis, rabies, dysentery, cholera, diarrhoea or other gut infections prevalent in developing countries.


GM plants and animals will provide benefits and risks in two broad, non-mutually exclusive areas: health and the environment. Health benefits are expected to fall into one of four categories- 1 enhancement of food security 2 enhancement of nutrient security 3 more targeted health benefits, such as passive immunization 4 the reduction of diet related, adult onset, chronic diseases through the manipulation of specific food components(e.g. fat composition) (Thomson , J 2003).