Genetically Modified Foods Persuasive Essay

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Since the introduction of GMOs in the 1990s amidst a devastating virus affecting Hawaiian papaya fruit, society has asked the same question time and time again: are these genetically modified crops safe for us? After nearly 30 years of much debate, the scientific community and the general public still remain divided, despite numerous studies done by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) alone. Although science has a tendency to change, consistent findings show that GMOs pose little to no threat whatsoever. Currently, the bulk of people's misgivings stem from the idea that GMOs are “unnatural,” and with the rise of health and self-care awareness, whether or not tampered genes in GMOs can lead to serious diseases down the road, such as cancer and …show more content…
So, how do we know there aren’t any underlying problems hidden beyond nutritional labels? Thanks to research done by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “the design and analysis of many animal-feeding studies were not optimal, but the large number of experimental studies provided reasonable evidence that animals were not harmed by eating food derived from GE crops. Additionally, long-term data on livestock health before and after the introduction of GE crops showed no adverse effects associated with GE crops. The committee also examined epidemiological data on incidence of cancers and other human-health problems over time and found no substantiated evidence that foods from GE crops were less safe than foods from non-GE crops” (Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects). Such findings would lead one to believe that unrest over the safety of GMOs would be quelled, but of course that is not the case. Until future generations raised on genetically modified food show no signs of significant abnormalities, there will be unease among the