GMO Traceability in Food (Interview) – Serene’s Synopsis 55
Joseph Gakpo, a PhD student in Agricultural and Extension Education at NC State University, co-wrote an article about GMO traceability in food, which stressed that consumers deserve to know if their food is genetically modified or not, even though it acknowledges that “no substantiated evidence that foods from genetically engineered crops were less safe than foods from non-genetically engineered crops” (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine), as cited in the article.
It’s natural to wonder why Gakpo considers it so essential for consumers to know if a food item was genetically modified despite the studies that show that they aren’t any less safe than organic products. Upon being asked for his reasoning, Gakpo responded that it’s only fair for people to know what’s in their food, and since there has been controversy and misinformation about GMOs, providing transparency can decrease the fear and mystery associated with GMOs.
Gakpo was inspired to study biotechnology from seeing the vast number of people suffering from food insecurity, especially in his home country, but he decided to research communications when he worked with a radio station and saw the impact that media had and the power it wielded to make change. He saw the value in the social change made as a journalist, and decided to use his knowledge of biotechnology to spread information about it to the public, as the presentation of straightforward and honest information on GMOs is crucial considering the controversy about the topic. Gakpo’s mission is to improve communication of “technologies like GMO technologies so that it doesn’t come off as something that the public should be fearful about.”
Gakpo believes genetic modification is a tool, and it has the potential to dramatically help those in need. “If I had my way,” Gakpo stated, “I would encourage those who […] have access to this technology to make use of it [for] agricultural production.” His interest in the social aspect of genetic engineering was based in his belief that there was a lack of communication in the field. He wanted to draw attention to this developing technology and educate those who had a lack of knowledge about the genomic editing of organisms.
This post is based off Gakpo’s article and an informational interview I had with him, and although the format is kind of strange, I think there’s really some fascinating stuff in here!
I really enjoyed my conversation with Gakpo. Even though he’s a journalist, Gakpo is a scientist passionate about social and environmental issues and understands the potential of genetic engineering and how essential it is to eliminate the stigma around it. Although I don’t really see myself becoming a journalist, this meeting was a great opportunity and encouraged me to keep learning about genetic engineering, as it’s capable of improving lives in many ways. It taught me a lot about how much the social aspect of science affects its prevalence, which I think is super valuable!
Thanks for reading this week’s synopsis, and stay tuned to learn with me!