Social, Political, and Economic Impact
As would be expected, genetic engineering has caused dramatic effects all over the globe. The crops and organisms being modified continue to influence everyday life for everyone whether they realize it or not.
Social Impact
Genetic modification has had huge impacts in society in both positive and negative aspects. Especially around the idea of labeling genetically modified food, people take stands and go so far as to protest for what they believe in. It's evident that genetically modified foods are all around us and have a significant impact on our everyday lives. Whether you choose to believe it or not, you most likely have eaten some sort of genetically modified food. They're all around us whether we realize it or not, but we eat them everyday.
On the positive end of the spectrum, genetically modified organisms can have beneficial effects on the food we eat. Foods can be modified to have more essential vitamins and nutrients, or simply taste better. Genetically modified foods are part of our daily diet and reassuringly enough appear to be quite healthy for us. Although some people fear the unforeseen health risks, the risks are just that, unforeseen. There are no known health risks so it is a matter of belief whether or not you want to trust in genetically modified foods.
Political Impact
The main political impact everyone thinks of when talking about genetically modified foods is very simple: should labeling be required? Currently, the United States and Canada do not make labeling genetically modified foods necessary under law, while many other countries ban genetically modified organisms completely or have some other restriction. Politics in this field revolve around labeling, but it does not appear that anyone is going to budge on their current requirements.
The labeling of genetically modified foods has become a serious issue and has two varied arguments regarding both sides of the debate. Above you can see a world map showing the countries that do and do not have restrictions on genetically modified food labeling. On the left you can watch a video discussing the positives and negative arguments regarding the labeling of genetically modified organisms.
Economic Impact
Whether you support genetically modified organisms or not, there is one thing you can't deny: they are cost effective. The amount of crops that can be grown and survive with genetic engineering exceeds that of organic crops. Use of genetically engineered crops such as insect resistant crops also saves money as it requires less pesticides to be used. For poor and rich farmers alike, genetically modified products is a way for them to save money and gain profit.
The amount of hectares (100 acres) using genetically modified crops has increased exponentially over the years, along with the profits. Since it began in 1996, the global farm income gain has been $78.4 billion and on average income has increased $100 per hectare. Above you can see a graph depicting the different in crop loss between Bt cotton and average cotton, while to the left is a map showing the amount of hectares around the world using genetically modified crops.
Milk is an example of a product that can be nutritionally enhanced to be better for human consumption. (Image Citation 41)