Article Critique Genetically Modified Food Essay

The article by Amin, Jahi and Nor was conducted in Malaysia to find out the stakeholders attitude to genetically modified foods and medicine (1). In particular, the investigators were interested to know the attitude towards GM insulin/medicine, GM palm oil and GM soybean. They designed the study as a survey with 1017 respondents. They found that the Malaysian stakeholders are cautious about the genetically modified foods. They agreed that genetically modified foods have perceived benefits but at the same time they were concerned about the moral aspects and risks associated with the GM Foods. A closer analysis revealed difference stakeholders attitudes towards GM foods. Title The title â€Å"stakeholders attitude to genetically modified foods and medicine† was precise and clearly thought out. Readers are well informed of what to expect as they engage with the study findings. However, the title missed on the study area. A good title must inform readers where the study is conducted. Abstract The researchers adopted non structure abstract. They were able to point out the background leading to the study, the purpose of survey, research approaches they used trough the study and the findings. With regard to this they managed to give a brief overview of the research Jones 2 and further letting readers know what their study entailed and what they found out. A structured abstract would have been more desirable as it enlists each of the study sections. However, depending with the journal requirements and authors’ interests they preferred non structured abstract to one that is structured. Purpose of the Study The investigators clearly pointed out the aim of the study. They assessed and compared the attitudes of the Malaysian stakeholders living in the Klang Valley towards genetically modified insulin, palm oil and soybeans. This was influenced by the findings from the other studies. For instance, other studies revealed that the advancement in technology led to increased production of GM Foods. In addition, they found that biotechnology is one of the five major technologies that are planned to speed industrialization in Malaysia. However, owing to the divisive debate on genetically modified foods, the researchers saw the need for this study. Therefore, it has clear cut intent of telling where Malaysians attitudes leans and what measures should be put in place to better their attitude. Research Approaches The investigators adopted a well defined research approach. They designed the study as a survey which was conducted from June, 2004 to February, 2005. The sample size was 107 respondents above 18 years. They were selected through stratification sampling which enabled the generalization of the findings and minimized biased that could result from sample selection. In addition, they collected the data through administering questionnaire and ensured that reliability and validity of the study are all accounted for. However, the researchers did not tell the readers how they met the ethical principles, especially principles of ethics of beneficence and Jones 3 justice. They didn’t point out whether they consulted any ethical institution or whether they sought consent before recruiting the respondents. Results The study findings were consistent with the objective. The findings centered on six dimensions of the stakeholders attitudes including moral concerns, perceived benefits, familiarity, encouragement, risk acceptance and perceived risks. From the findings it was clear that majority of the stakeholders were not familiar with the three GM products. It was more surprising when the findings indicated that biology students were more familiar with the GM palm oil and GM soybeans than religious scholars. The findings further established that stakeholders are moderately concerned with the moral aspects of the GM products, moderately perceive the products as risky and moderately perceive the GM products as beneficial. All the same they encouraged the use of the three products, with most stakeholders supportive of GM palm oil. These findings were consistent with the other studies. For instance, in China, study by Zhang et al. (19) indicated that consumers were not familiar with GM products yet domestic consumption of GM soybeans was about 18% of the interviewees that were consuming soybeans. In addition, the findings were consistent with earlier studies by ISAAA-UIUC (14-15) which found that Asians accept GM foods but at the same acknowledge the risks they pose to health. Based on these consistencies, the study met the rigor of trustworthiness, applicability and reliability. The conclusions were drawn from the study. The investigators concluded that the Malaysian stakeholders’ attitude on GM products was cautious. Indeed, this is in tandem with the findings that the stakeholders moderately perceive the GM products as both beneficial and Jones 4 detrimental to health. In addition the implications of the study were reported in the conclusion. They noted that the biotechnologists should assess the moral aspects, risks and benefits of the GM foods and thereafter engage the public on acceptance of the products before considering commercialization of the products. However, the researcher failed to point out the limitations of the study as well as the areas that need further research. Work Cited Amin, Latifah; Jahi, Jamaluddin and Nor Abd. â€Å"Stakeholders attitude to GM foods and medicine. The Scientific World Journal. 2013. Jones 5 International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC), â€Å"The social and cultural dimensions of agricultural biotechnology in Southeast Asia: public understanding, perceptions, and attitudes towards biotechnology in Phillipines†. ISAAA. Publications. Zhang, Xi; Huang, Jin; Qiu, Ha and Huang, Zheng. â€Å"A consumer segmentation study with regards to genetically modified food in urban China†. Food Policy. 35:5. 2010.