Genetically Modified Vs. Organic Food. Which of These Is Better to Consume?

Topic: Health, Body and Mind

Title: Genetically modified vs. organic food. Which of these is better to consume?

Essay type: Compare/Contrast

Word count: 534

It is not a mystery nowadays that the food products people consume are not produced the same way they were in the past, due to inventions in genetically modified (hereinafter GM) experiments. Worldwide scientists have split up towards the opinions of the recently appeared GM food on the markets shelves and already existing organic food. Some of them consider the transgenic crops to be able to resist the diseases and bad weather conditions saving the majority of the harvest. However, controversial researchers about GM verdict that such plants are already of a synthetic base and do not exceed the advantages of natural products. Although, both GM and organic foods look very similar, the second one has more competitive benefits in medical, ecological and economical aspects.

The first divergence related to the medical factor is that being unwholesome to humans’ organisms, GM foods have considerably fewer nutrients and more toxins than naturally raised food.  It is known that a high level of chemicals is the main composition of conventional food that can cause incurable illnesses and antibiotic-resistant diseases such as obesity, stroke, thyroid disease, hypertension, urinary and bladder cancers, liver failure and more. The obvious example illustrating this point is a study of glyphosate, a carcinogenic chemical of GM food, which damages endocrine and immune system, therefore, leading to the presented diseases (Leu et al., 2014). Unlike GM food, organic is grown naturally and do not require any toxic-adding, but only environmental friendly fertilizers (Greenpeace Organization, 2011). Though, it is obvious that organic food is much safer and healthier rather than GM one.

The second quality that differs organic food from GM is that availability of toxins in artificial products completes an inevitable impact on the ecological situation. Resisted genes that consist in the crops can easily spread out, spoiling the soil and killing useful insects by toxins (Greenpeace Organization, 2011). Dried and voided of integrated minerals, the soil becomes unable to produce healthy plants. In addition, this problem reflexes on water sources and into the air leading to further disagreeable disadvantages. Whereas organic crops are of a pure consistent and they do not damage the surrounding environment, allowing the natural processes to flow on themselves.  

The third factor affecting the contrast between two types of food is that selling GM products is an effective concept only for the laboratories and a company producing them, while the organic food on the market increases the whole local economy. One obvious example that GM companies do not bring any help is that Monsanto company which produces soybeans that are 2-5 times more herbicides than organic plants to be able to reuse the soil several times (Leu et al., 2014). The quantity of the production increases, whilst the quality of the fields becomes extremely poor and  unable to regrow the crops. Therefore, while local farmers get a profit, the company receives a sufficient profit making a huge step into world food market.