A fact: Genetic Modification of food is producing more food with the same resources.

Some like to believe that this is a modern phenomena, but modifying the genes in plants and animals is in fact as old as agriculture itself. Plants with desirable attributes were recognized, and their seeds were collected and replanted in preference to others - initially accidentally and later deliberately. This resulted in new strains of animals and plants with selected genes.

What has changed recently is that modern technology allows this to be done far more efficiently. Instead of growing a generation and selecting those with desirable attributes, we can splice the genes directly. We can even splice in other genes from other living things. This is Genetic Engineering or Genetic Modification (GM), and the resultant foods are GM foods.

Some may describe this as dangerous, and the practice may well result in disaster, but the technology is unstoppable, and the anti-GM protesters bid to stop the production of GM crops will fail. Many parts of the world are impoverished, some are starving, and the pressures to produce more food for these people are irresistible. In the short term, GM crops will produce ten percent more yield, and in the medium term 100%. Anyone who thinks that these people will heed an argument that goes "we don't want you to use this GM crop because we are concerned about unknown side effects" is naive at best.

A protester in an affluent country with a welfare system which guarantees against starvation can promote anti-GM views, but they will be ignored in places where these guarantees do not exist. And imposing an economic, cultural and political system on these countries which guarantees those levels of welfare is unlikely anytime in the near future.

Of course the starving people people will still starve, because their problems are not technological limitations. The economic and social system which currently starves them will still starve them with improved technology.

Regardless, given that GM production is a certainty, we may as well exploit it.