Many industries of the food compartment, from fast-food and restaurant chains to supermarkets, clearly and proudly state that their products do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) of any sort.

 GMOs are often described as something negative and dangerous, probably because they are perceived as “unnatural”, or just because of the fear that the modifications will transform these products toxic or cancerogenic [1].

The purpose of this article is therefore to highlight the importance of GMOs in the food industry and to help debunk the concept that GMOs are bad, or even dangerous, for our health.

 One of the objectives of GMO application is to improve crop production by accelerating their growth and their resistance to insects and pathogens. In fact, the goal is similar to the concept of “breeding”, that has been done since the start of agriculture [2]. The first farmers compared their crops with those growing in the wilderness and they selected the most efficient seeds to plant. Important factors taken into account for the selection were, amongst others, yield and resistance to external factors. The genetic engineering of the crops provides a much more targeted solution than “breeding”. Since only the desired properties will be altered, it is actually possible to reduce or even erase the unwanted characteristics.

 GMOs are therefore the result of a selection process conducted in a controlled way. In tomatoes, for example, genetic engineering influences the delay of ripening. Ripening is a process which depends on the production of ethylene. By the alteration of a gene, the ethylene levels are reduced and the final product will have a longer shelf life [3, 4]. Potatoes and rice, on the other hand, were genetically modified to increase their nutrient content [5, 6]. Rice in particular was genetically modified to fight vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a condition that put up to 500’000 kids in the world at risk of becoming blind and surviving serious illness [7]. The “Golden Rice” variant has an increased quantity of β-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. The establishment of this variant consequently provided a larger-scale prophylaxis compared to classical VAD treatment, a sustainable long-term solution, especially in the developing countries [8, 9].

 The safety of the modified products is also often brought up as one of the concerns. For this reason, GMOs are among the most controlled products and are subjected to strict safety procedures and regulations. EU and US authorities, for example, provide a comprehensive list of risks to be evaluated, as well as a molecular characterization of the product and toxicological and allergenicity assessments (i.e. possible changes in the level of natural constituents beyond normal values) [10, 11]. The presence of a genetic sequence of another organism (transgene) as a result of the genetic modification, and the possibility that the protein produced by the transgene may be toxic, is another matter of concern [1]. Nevertheless, the potential toxicity of the protein expressed in GMOs is also part of the safety assessment to be performed [12].

When GMOs are introduced into the environment, they can affect biodiversity. For example, existing species can be overrun by more dominant new species. These effects are also considered during the licensing procedure: assessments include a selective advantage or disadvantage for the GMOs species versus the wild-type species, the interaction between the GMO and target / non-target organisms and the impacts of the specific cultivation, management and harvesting techniques [10].

 So, to come back to the original question: what is on my plate? GMOs are important players in fighting global hunger, in a historical period where the world population is rising and the available land for agriculture is increasingly scarce. These organisms are strictly controlled and can therefore be considered as equally safe as the conventionally bred organisms.