The Disadvantages Of Genetically Modified Vegetables

Genetically modified vegetables are produced by combining the genes from vegetables with genes from unrelated species. Genetically modified vegetables are created to emphasize traits that farmers and food producers find advantageous. Some of these traits include resistance to herbicides, higher yields and the ability to kill the insects that normally devour them. While genetically modified vegetables may help boost crop production, their potential for harm has provoked debate, according to the World Health Organization.

Unproven Safety

According to Deborah Mitchell's "Safe Foods: the A-to-Z Guide to the Most Wholesome Foods for You and Your Family," the main disadvantage of genetically modified crops is that they have not been proven safe for human consumption. Unlike pharmaceuticals, which are rigorously tested in animals and in clinical trials before they go to market, genetically engineered crops do not undergo safety testing before they go to market. Compounding the problem is that fact that people who are experiencing unusual health problems may not ever connect their symptoms to the consumption of genetically modified foods, since they do not need to be labeled.

Allergic Reactions

Genetically modified vegetables have the potential to cause life-threatening allergic reactions, according to the Institute for Responsible Technology, an international education organization. That is because they contain transferred genes from unrelated species. For example, a commonly produced genetically modified soybean contains DNA from petunias, a plant that is not a traditional food source. Because petunias were not previously eaten, it was unknown whether they were allergens. Genetically modified vegetables may also cause reactions in people with known allergies who do not realize that the food they are eating contains DNA from food that they know to be problematic. For example, in the mid-1990s, a new variety of soybean was created using the DNA from Brazil nuts. People with Brazil nut allergies showed allergic reactions to the soybeans.

Gene Transfer

Some critics of genetically modified vegetables are worried about the potential for gene transfer between genetically modified foods and cells of the body or bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, according to the World Health Organization. The results could be devastating if genes from crops developed for their antibiotic resistance were transferred into humans. This occurrence could make antibiotics ineffective in the treatment of disease.

Herbicide Resistance and Overuse

Some genetically modified vegetables have been developed for their resistance to herbicides. This trait allows farmers to use herbicides to kill weeds in their fields without endangering their crops, according to a 2010 study from the National Research Council. Critics are concerned that this trait can cause weeds to become resistant to common herbicides, and that farmers will be forced to use increasingly toxic herbicides in response.