Australian Centre for Languages
Research Essay
GM food should be accessible to consumers
in all countries
Team: QVB
Team’ members: Ashley, Cici, Ewan, Renee, Sheran
Teacher’ names: Craige and Gary
Date: December 29th, 2008
The issue of whether the utilization of traditional food plant should be replaced by new generation of genetic modified food is brought to heating point as it concerns not only the potential food safety for consumers but also the economic benefit for farmers. Some argue that the introduction of GM food do not meet the needs of poor farmers as the cost of GM seeds are much higher than non-GM crops and may raise possible health problem in which could build up the resistant toward antibiotics. However, others are confident that that the application of the GM seeds can help combat the global food crisis and eventually bring great economical benefits to human being. (By Ewan)
Tony Burke，Federal Agriculture Minister, thinks that Genetically Modified food is needed for human life (Genetically Modified Foods 2003). He argues that given the challenges the world faces, we cannot ignore the potential of genetically modified (GM) organisms. While food safety may be a reason to ultimately reject particular plants, it is not a reason to reject the science of genetic modification. The world population is increasing, the starvation problem become more serious, we can ascend the food quantity by genetically modification, in order to solve the problem, so this argument goes, can be useful to solve the world starvation problem. (By Ewan）
However, once GM food raise possible health concerns even if GM food can solve the starvation problem. As Antonio (2003) explains, antibiotic-resistant maker genes are inserted with GM material, which could cause a person to be resistant to antibiotic medicines. In addition, new allergens could be accidentally created and known allergens could be transferred to other food. (By Renee)
That is undeniable...