Genetically Modified Foods do more good than harm.

The criterion for this debate is net benefits. This means I win this debate if I prove that the net benefits of GM Foods outweigh the disadvantages mentioned by the Con side. I will start with two points. The first of these is that GM Foods (or genetically modified foods) are completely safe and healthy. According to Battelle, the world"s largest nonprofit research and development organization, In the United States, GM food products must be rigorously tested before they can be sold"far more so than conventionally bred crops. The testing process can take 7-10 years, and must include evaluations of potential risks to humans and livestock as well as potential risks to wildlife and the environment. Part of the testing includes nutritional analysis and protein analysis and characterization. In these studies, researches look at the proteins and peptides expressed in the bioengineered organism compared to the original. This allows researchers to identify any new proteins created by the GM crop that could produce an allergic reaction or other adverse effect. In fact, GMOs are among the most tested products in history, partly due to a study we will talk about soon. Based on this information, GM Foods are completely safe and even more healthy than regular, but I will take it even further to say that GMOs are among the highest tested things of all time. This is mainly due to a study claimed by Forbes to be the most comprehensive study on GMOs and foods of all time. University of California-Davis Department of Animal Science geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam and research assistant Amy E. Young reviewed 29 years of livestock productivity and health data from both before and after the introduction of genetically engineered animal feed. The field data represented more than 100 billion animals covering a period before 1996 when animal feed was 100% non-GMO, and after its introduction when it jumped to 90% and more GMO. The documentation included the records of animals examined pre and post mortem, as ill cattle cannot be approved for meat. What did they find? That GM feed is safe and nutritionally equivalent to non-GMO feed. There was no indication of any unusual trends in the health of animals since 1996 when GMO crops were first harvested. Considering the size of the dataset, it can reasonably be said that the debate over the impact of GM feed on animal health (including humans) is closed. Moving on to my second point, which is GM Foods can help to solve starvation. One in eight people among the world"s growing population of seven billion do not have enough to eat, and safe and effective methods of food production, like crops produced through GM technology, can help us feed the hungry and malnourished in developing nations around the world. There are multiple different ways that the GMO technology can help solve world hunger. One of these ways is by increasing crop yield. This basically means that you get more crops than usual. Three pioneers in the controversial field of genetically modified crops have won the prestigious World Food Prize, known as the "Nobel Prize for agriculture." The award credits the technology they created with increasing the quantity and availability of food, and providing a tool to help meet the challenges of a growing population and a changing climate. With the world expected to add another 2 billion people by 2050, demand for food and clothing will increase by at least 60 percent. And biotech crops will help, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, announcing the winners. "It is simply true that biotechnology has dramatically increased crop yields. It has drastically decreased loss due to pests and disease, and it allows us to feed more people without converting tropical forests or fragile lands in order to do so," Kerry said. Another way that GMO tech can help solve world hunger is by decreasing the price of food (of course, mostly due to the higher crop yield). According to the World Food Programme, The poorest households in the developing world may spend as much as 60-80 percent of their incomes on food. The World Food Programme also notes that when prices go up, they must spend even more of their meager resources on food. That means they have less for their other needs, such as clothes, shelter, medicines, school books for the children. And little by little, non-essentials get cut. This means that eventually, a family can be left with nothing - no education, no clean clothes, no medicine, and more. One of the best ways of helping the poor avoid the worst effects of food price hikes is through so-called "safety nets" " reliable systems providing food to the most vulnerable when times are hard. These safety nets can be created by the huge crop yield that is being created by the genetic modification of crops. Even Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of Nobel Peace prize laureate and father of the Green Revolution Dr. Norman Borlaug, and associate director for external relations at the Normal Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, says that her grandfather was a strong proponent of science and biotechnology as "weapons in the fight against world hunger." She urges everyone to help "educate and inform the public" about about the need for continued scientific and biotechnological advances in agriculture to feed a growing world population. Based on the information shared within these two points, GM Foods are very valuable and are not at a concern with health at all. Thank you.