Topic: 2024-GMOs and Food Security
Country: France
Delegate Name: Hannah Hudack
Great Lakes Invitational Model UN Nations Conference
Food Agriculture Organization
Delegation: France
GMO’s and Food Security in France
The topic of using GMOs for the future stems from an understanding of food security as well as the benefits they bring forth. GMO’s, (genetically modified organisms) were mainly used to prevent farmers from crop loss and to control weeds. However, it was realized that they can do much more than just that. GMO’s can be used in medicine, laboratory research, and in textiles because they prevent contamination and help us better understand the root of biological disease. Since knowing this, it has been the main possible solution to prevent food insecurity among the next generations. By 2030, indications state that 582 million people will be underfed and malnourished due to access of little or no food (Manetti). The meaning of food security is the state of having access to nutritious and affordable food. If the indications of 2030 are true, then food insecurity and worldwide malnutrition could spread. This is exactly why GMOs are linked to this topic, since they could be the main possible solution to this concern. If GMOs can prevent the loss of crops and require less resources to maintain, then it is the FAO’s mission to recognize and implement the FFPI (FAO’s food price index) and FIFF (food import financing facility) so that securing the state of healthy and nutritious food can be obtained by all.
Reports linked with food security in France state that 8 million people struggle to get a plentiful diet and three meals a day because of food insecurity. This situation is rooted from waste of food, agricultural crop loss, and a small percentage on restrictions put on GMOs by the government (Elie). In 1996, just as the United States sent the first cargo of GMOs to Europe, a French Newspaper caught the attention of others because it stated that the GMOs could kill society (Kuntz). Many people believed this since they were still getting over the “mad cow” crisis that occurred, which was a period of disease in cows that caused beef contamination. Not only did they experience this, but when hemophiliacs were given GMOs to treat HIV, they also were found contaminated (Kuntz). In a manner of distrust, France rejected genetically modified maize, which marked their first pushback on GMOs. However, when a new governor was selected in 1997, France gave genetically modified beets a try but with regulations (Kuntz). Public opinion is also a reason that makes France restrictive with this practice, stating they still do not trust the process. Reports of almost 3,000 Anti-GMO protests are seen destroying GMO crops and pushing back on a regulation of GMOs law (Boring). With the negative perspective on this idea, it will be hard to implement healthy food security in France, since the main solution is the practice of GMOs.
To combat the issue of food security in France, we need to promote the usage of GMOs because it’s the fastest and most convenient way to help with fighting worldwide malnutrition. For France, the main negativity stems from the public opinion, who has clearly showed their distrust with protests and outright statements. This can be understood in some level with what contamination situations they have gone through, but this is why we need to make the people trust GMOs and their safety aspects. Biosafety laws that give the basic standard for governing GMOs need to be introduced while giving public education on what GMOs are and their benefits. This would give people an understanding on why they are so important in the progress for our future. Another plan would be to follow risk assessment checks while using the GMOs to ensure that everything is safe and nothing is contaminated. Publishing the checks can give people an understanding that GMOs are safe to use. Finally labeling products that have GMOs is only right because people have a right to know what’s in their food, even if they don’t support it. This whole plan would be partnered with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as well as the FAO because not only is this issue occurring in France, but throughout the world as well.
Citations:
Boring, Nicolas. “Restrictions on Genetically Modified Organisms: France.” Library of Congress, 1 Mar. 2014, maint.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/france.php#:~:text=The%20production%20and%20sale%20of,rules%20that%20provide%20additional%20restrictions. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Elie, Gatien. “Hunger in France’s Land of Plenty.” Le Monde Diplomatique, 1 Oct. 2021, mondediplo.com/2021/10/13food-box#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20recent%20Senate,the%20Ipsos%2DSecours%20Populaire%20survey. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Kuntz, Marcel . “The GMO Case in France: Politics, Lawlessness and Postmodernism.” PubMed Central, 5 Oct. 2014, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5033180/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Manetti, Stefania. “Genetically Modified Organisms – GMOs.” National Library of Medicine, 4 Mar. 2024, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002432.htm. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
