Scientists can choose which genes to manipulate, but they don't yet know where in the DNA to precisely insert these genes and they have no way of controlling gene expression. Genes don't work in isolation, changing a few could change the whole picture, with unpredictable and different effects under different circumstances, and GM crops could cross-pollinate with nearby non-GM plants and create ecological problems. And, above all of that, we all know that "we are what we eat", so thin can be one of the major problems: to change the human nature itself.
GM food will end food diversity if everyone starts growing the same standardized crops. Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-resistant crops could give rise to super-weeds and super-pests that would need newer, stronger chemicals to destroy them, and which will seriously harm the food chain.
The GM technology companies patent their crops and also engineer crops so that harvested grain germs are incapable of developing. This is not empowering to impoverished Third World farmers, who cannot save seeds for replanting and have to buy expensive seeds from the companies every time. The new technology also interferes with their traditional agricultural ways which may be more suited to their conditions. The claim of ending world hunger with GM food is a false claim. World hunger is not caused by shortage of food production, but by sheer mismanagement, and lack of access to food brought about by various social, financial and political causes.
It's about time to ask to the scientists:
What were you thinking?!
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