Are transgenic food crops safe for human consumption?

Abstract

The current controversy about genetically modified crops should be appreciated by Community Medicine specialists. GM crops are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques. This is usually done to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species, like resistance to certain pests, or diseases, or environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, or resistance to chemical treatments or improving the nutrient profile of the crop1Farmers in the world have largely adopted GM technology at present. In 2012, GM crops were planted in 28 countries of which 20 were developing countries. It was also the first year in which developing countries grew 52% of the total GM harvest. Approximately 17.3 million farmers grew GM crops; and 90% of them were small-land holding farmers in developing countries. Farmers grew 11 different transgenic crops commercially on 160 million hectares of land.2