Biology Forums - Study Force

What are the arguments for and against genetically modified crops?  Discuss both the scientific and political debates.   

Proponents of GM crops stress continuity with the agricultural past, arguing that there is little reason to expect that today's GM food is any less safe than the selectively bred food of the past. They also argue that conferring pest resistance to crops can decrease use of chemical pesticides. Critics point out that the new techniques differ from traditional breeding techniques because they mix species, create species in the lab, not the field, and deal with novel gene combinations not possible in nature. They worry about allergic reactions in people and the "spread" of inserted genes into the soil and other organisms in the ecosystem. The political debate involves labeling and an individual's right to know what is in the food they consume. Industry has a large financial stake in seeing the continued use of GM foods. Critics argue that we should adopt the precautionary principle with GM foods.