Role of genetically modified (GM) foods in emerging markets

Role of GM Foods in EMs• Very important for developing countries/EMs – Need more food, as such hunger and starvation – 3m deaths/year in Africa solely relating to hunger – 3 options: aid

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What are GM Foods?

• Crops created for human/animal consumption using the molecular biology technique to get desired traits such as:

Role of GM Foods in EMs

• Very important for developing countries/EMs

– Need more food, as such hunger and starvation

– 3m deaths/year in Africa solely relating to hunger

– 3 options: aid/food, money/funds, provide GM foods

• GM foods: Rapid, accurate,↑ yield, ↓labor, ↑shelf-life

GM Birds/Animals

Disease cure vs designer babies

Advantages of GM Foods…

• Pest resistance

– So, farmers use tons of pesticides/fertilizers annually

• Disease resistance

– GM crops resistance to these diseases

• Cold resistance

– Frost can destroy sensitive seedlings

Advantages of GM Foods

• Drought resistance

• Nutrition

– Single crop (rice) cannot give all the nutrition needed

– GM food: golden rice has Vitamin A (beta-carotene)

– GM food: with enhanced iron is underway, Europe?

• Pharmaceuticals

– Edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes

– Easier to ship, store, administer than traditional injections

Criticism of GM Organism/Foods…

Criticism of GM Organism/Foods

Criticism of GM Foods…

• Environmental hazards

– Unintended harm to other organism

• Difficult to design toxin  kills crop-damaging pests, not other insects

– Reduced effectiveness of pesticides

• Develops resistance  DDT

– Gene transfer to non-target species

• Cross-breeding

• Transfer of herbicide resistance from crops to weeds

• The “superweeds” will then have herbicide tolerance as well

• Solution

– Create buffer zone

• Enviro pigs  they do not produce phosphates!

– Unknown effects on human health

– However, proposal to introduce a gene from Brazil nuts into Soyabeans was abandoned

• On the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity, scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk to human health!

Criticism of GM Foods

• Economic concerns

– Lengthy and costly process

– May be patented

• Monsanto, Novartis, Dow, DuPont hold patents for GM crops

• Make substantial profit by exporting it to EMs

– Farmers from developing countries/EM cannot afford– More gap between rich and poor

• Other invention  discouraged/stopped

– Suicide gene technology

• Only one growing per season

• Next time would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate

Governments and GM Foods…

2009: 25 countries

Governments and GM Foods

• Europe: Anti-GM protests (Austria, France, Hungary)

• Japan: GM testing is mandatory Customers for organic

• USA: FDA  GM foods are substantially equivalent to natural food, so not subject to FDA regulations

– GRAS  Generally Recognized As Safe

• India: No policy yet  for GM  ↓ poverty

• Brazil: Some states have banned GM crops

• Africa: EU opposes the use of GM in Africa

– S Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe have GM laws; Kenya Act  2009

• Argentina: Very pro-GM

• New Zealand: NO GM Foods grown here!

GM Food Labeling

• No need to label  same wrt to nutrition

• Europe and Japan  Mandatory

– 1% contamination of unmodified products with GM foods– Consumers have the right the know the information

– Reduced sales, so processors do not sell GM foods

– EU has disguised policy of protectionism

• Canada and US  Voluntary

– Mandatory for Non-GM foods

Traditional International Entry Mode Strategy

Multi-Mode international Entry Strategy for GM Crops