Introduction
Genetically engineered food is the term used to describe foods that humans have altered through molecular biology techniques to enhance desired traits. Some of these traits include increased resistance to herbicides and improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits before genetically engineering was through breeding although plant breeding can be more time consuming and are often is not as accurate. Genetic engineering can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with greater accuracy.
Economic Advantage
There are huge advantages that come with GE foods which have in turn made them extremely popular in the food industry. For example plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new plant would be drought tolerant potentially saving fields of various crops. Also making it possible to grow other plants in areas where it would otherwise be impossible. This can save millions of dollars and tons of essential foods in areas where drought is prominent. Another example is a trait that has been taken from a non-plant organism put into a number of plants including corn that produces its own pesticide. This is a tremendously valuable trait that is only possible through genetically engineering these plants. This means that people do not have to use as many pesticides saving money and time. Through these examples Genetically Engineered crops can increase the yield of the original crop. It does this by decrease the negative effects of the environment whether it is the insects or the weather. Genetically Engineered crops have a huge Economic advantage over ones that aren’t engineered.
Economic Disadvantages
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/biotechnology/