ARTICLE: GMOs are good for crop production, not harmful

The following is an excerpt of a guest column by Jason Defisher in the Kansas State University Collegian about the benefits of GMOs to crop production. 

There are so many acronyms in our food these days. MSG, FDA, A&W and other scary abbreviations can make choosing what food to buy difficult for young adults.

One of the most controversial food-related choices is whether we want to buy foods made with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Unfortunately, there are many consumers who have an unfounded fear surrounding the creation and use of GMOs for food.

The main arguments I have heard against the use of GMOs are that there are dangerous chemicals being put into food crops and the science behind the modification is risky and imprecise.

To an uninformed consumer, these arguments could seem to be true. However, the reality of genetically modifying organisms is very safe.

The process of genetically modifying a crop is similar to cutting and pasting text while typing a paper. Desirable genes are taken from one healthy organism and carefully placed into a target organism to improve its genetic code. The process must be very exact, as any imperfections will result in failure.

To read the entire article, please visit The Collegian website.