Why do people fear GMOs? (2024)

FAQs

Why do people fear GMOs? ›

GMOs seem unnatural.

While GMO crops make farming much easier, there is some concern about their potential effect on the environment and their safety for human consumption, particularly surrounding illnesses and allergies.

There have been concerns that eating GMO foods can contribute to the development of cancer by raising levels of potentially carcinogenic substances in the body. The American Cancer Society states there is no evidence that currently available GMO foods either increase or reduce the risk of cancer.

Biodiversity Loss: The use of some GM crops can have negative impacts on non-target organisms and on soil and water ecosystems. For example, the expansion of GM herbicide-tolerant corn and soy, which are twinned with herbicides, has destroyed much of the habitat of the monarch butterfly in North America.

About half of U.S. adults (51%) think GMOs are worse for people's health than foods with no genetically modified ingredients, while 41% say GM foods have a neutral effect on health. Just 7% say they are better for health than other foods.

GMO foods are carefully studied before they are sold to the public to ensure they are as safe as2 the foods we currently eat. These studies1 show that GMOs do not affect you differently than non-GMO foods. Do GMOs affect your health? GMO foods are as healthful and safe to eat as their non-GMO counterparts.

Concern about genetically modified foods is widespread globally, with about half of people in 20 publics around the world saying these foods are unsafe to eat, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted between October 2019 and March 2020.

Another 60 countries have significant restrictions on GMOs. One reason for this opposition to GMOs is because of the perceived weak agricultural benefits of GMOs compared to their potential risks. There is also a noted lack of trust and confidence by the public in regulatory processes behind GMOs.

Potential health risks to humans include the possibility of exposure to new allergens in genetically modified foods, as well as the transfer of antibiotic-resistant genes to gut flora.

Why do GMOs have such a bad reputation? ›

The key areas of controversy related to genetically modified food (GM food or GMO food) are whether such food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of genetically modified crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide ...

Many of the embryos that undergo genetic engineering procedures do not survive. Genetic modification can put animals at risk of harm. For example, transgenic pigs were found to be arthritic, partially blind and infertile when a human growth hormone was inserted into their genomes to make them grow faster.

Adoption of GMOs into seed markets could lead to farmer dependence on corporations that control the price and supply of seeds. The cost of switching from traditional to genetically modified seeds could also lead to increased inequality among farmers, as poorer smallholders will be left behind by their competitors.

If a food item isn't organic or doesn't have a Non-GMO Project seal, avoid products that come from the most common GMO crops. This includes corn, soy, canola, papaya, zucchini and yellow summer squash, sugar beets and cottonseed.

Another reason that people might consider genetically modified foods to be unnatural has to do with an idea that all living things, including crops, have some kind of natural essence. This natural essence gives each living thing a level of moral standing that varies.

All reliable evidence produced to date shows that currently available GM food is at least as safe to eat as non-GM food. An animal feeding trial of GM tomatoes modified to produce high levels of antioxidants showed the GM tomatoes reduced the levels of cancer.