Biotechnology: Genetically Modified Organisms

This paper is about placing the health of US citizens where it belongs, above the interests

of corporate America. Today the food industry is controlled by a few large multi-

national corporations, whose mission is to create profits for their shareholders.

Profit itself is not bad and profit is not the issue, businesses are supposed to make money;

But they do have an obligation to society to create products that do not harm people,

animals, or our environment. According to the Coordinated Framework for Regulation

of Biotechnology, “Along with the National Institute of Health, the Food and Drug

Administration and the Department of Agriculture, the EPA regulates the biotechnology

industry to determine the condition under which its products may be used.” (Coordinated

Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, 1986).

These government agencies are here to protect Americans and to ensure that products,

especially those used for human consumption, are safe, have been vigorously and

repeatedly tested, and validated by independent organizations; some tests

continue for years in order to fully understand the long term impact. The issues

arise when the lines between our “trusted” governmental agencies and private interests

blur, as in the case of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The Monsanto Company, for example, is a producer of GMO seeds and over the past few

decades, according to Genetic Genie (1995) “at least seven high-ranking FDA employees

have an employment history with Monsanto. Michael Taylor, currently the deputy

commissioner of the Office of Foods, was the deputy commissioner for Policy within the

FDA in the mid ’90s. While employed with Monsanto, Mr. Taylor served as legal

council and a...

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...r our families while

promoting their political agenda. We need to take the power back and hold our

elected officials accountable, stage protests, write letters, blogs, tweet, refuse to buy

GMO products, call our supermarkets, write them, vote etc. If our elected officials won’t

vote for the rights of the American people, we need to tell them we will vote them right

out of office.

Works Cited

1. Office of Science and Technology Policy, (1986, June 26) Retrieved from Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, 51, Federal Register

2. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/conflict+of+interest

3. (2000, January 25) Retrieved from http://www.peer.org/assets/docs/whitepapers/1995_genetic_genie.pdf, pg 20

4. Pollack, Andrew (2009, February 19) Retrieved from http://www.wiser.org/resource/view/35a6b573560ed217dc3023b9c8de8027