Should Genetically Modified Organisms Foods Be Labeled?

861 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: "should genetically modified foods be labeled?": key words

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Three words (or letters) that can incite arguments between even the most rational individuals. However this paper is not a discussion on the safety, or lack thereof, of GMOs. Instead, it looks at the costs versus benefits of labeling genetically modified foods. Technically genetically modified (GM) means “any change to the heritable traits of an organism achieved by intentional manipulation” (Premanandh 37). Though when using the designation genetically modified in reference to food, it commonly refers to the transgenic modification of the organism’s genome in a laboratory for the purpose of enhancing desirable traits. These desirable traits can be increased resistance to pesticides and herbicides, improved growth under drought conditions, improved nutritional contents, and pest resistance. The first GMOs were developed for the industrial production of medicinal products in the late 1980s (Premanandh 37). By 1996 the first GMOs were grown for public consumption and today GM corn, cotton, oilseed rape (canola), and soybeans are widely available to consumers in the United States (Federici 519). Widespread use and consumption of GMOs throughout the past decade has caused an increased level of concern over the safety of GMOs. These concerns have led numerous states in the past several years to consider legislation to implement mandatory GMO labeling requirements. I however, do not think there should be mandatory GMO food labeling in the US; there are not enough demonstrable benefits of mandatory labeling to make it an economically viable option.

Those who argue in favor of mandatory labeling of GMOs cite safety concerns and a right to make informed decisions. Fears of unanticipated environmen...

... middle of paper ...

...vernor of Vermont will sign the bill into law.

Works Cited
Bennett, Anna K. "GMO Labeling - Truth Beyond The Hype." Agricultural Management Committee Newsletter July 2013: 7-10. Web. 4 May 2014.
Federici, Valery. "Genetically Modified Food And Informed Consumer Choice: Comparing U.S. and E.U. Labeling Laws." Brooklyn Journal Of International Law 35.2 (2010): 515-561. Web. 4 May 2014.
Helme, Morgan Anderson. "Genetically Modified Food Fight: The FDA Should Step Up To The Regulatory Plate So States Do Not Cross The Constitutional Line." Minnesota Law Review 98.1 (2013): 356-384. Web. 4 May 2014.
Premanandh, Jagadeesan. "Global Consensus - Need Of The Hour For Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Labeling." Journal Of Commercial Biotechnology 17.1 (2011): 37-44. Web. 4 May 2014.
Ronald, Pamela. "The Truth About GMOs." Boston Review (2013): 16-21. Web. 4 May 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Genetically Modified Food in Canada

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    A trip to any supermarket in Canada will reveal nothing out of ordinary, just the usual of array of fresh and packaged goods displayed in an inviting manner to attract customers. Everything appear familiar and reassuring, right? Think again. A closer microscopic inspection discloses something novel, a fundamental revolution in food technology. The technology is genetic engineering (GE), also known as biotechnology. Blue prints (DNA) of agricultural crops are altered and “spliced” with foreign genes to produce transgenic crops. Foods harvested from these agricultural plants are called, genetically modified (GM). Presently, Canada has no consumer notification; GM foods are being slipped to Canada’s foods without any labels or adequate risk assessments. This essay argues that GM foods should be rigorously and independently tested for safety; and, consumers be given the right to choose or reject GM foods through mandatory labels. What is the need for impartial examination of safety of transgenic foods? And why label them? GM foods are not “substantially equivalent” to conventional foods, genetic engineering of agricultural crops is not a mere extension of traditional plant breeding, and finally, there are human health implications associated with it.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Barbara Kingsolver's A Fist In The Eye Of God

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    A substantial percentage of the work on the ethics of genetically modified food has primarily centralized on its potentially nocuous effects on human health and on the rights to label

    Read More

  • Government + Food Industry = ?

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    Regulating what the government should control and what they should not was one of the main arguments our founding fathers had to deal with when creating our nation, and to this day this regulation is one of the biggest issues in society. Yet, I doubt our founding fathers thought about the idea that the food industry could one day somewhat control our government, which is what we are now facing. Marion Nestles’ arguments in the book Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health deal with how large food companies and government intertwine with one another. She uses many logical appeals and credible sources to make the audience understand the problem with this intermingling. In The Politics of Food author Geoffrey Cannon further discusses this fault but with more emotional appeals, by use of personal narratives. Together these writers make it dramatically understandable why this combination of the food industry and politics is such a lethal ordeal. However, in The Food Lobbyists, Harold D. Guither makes a different viewpoint on the food industry/government argument. In his text Guither speaks from a median unbiased standpoint, which allows the reader to determine his or her own opinions of the food industries impact on government, and vise versa.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Gmo Labeling

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Do you know what you're really voting for? Iowan farmer Reg Clause suggests you may not in his column, “Say ‘no’ to GMO labeling.” Reminding readers that general election day has come, he attempts to convince us that a certain law should be voted against. The proposed legislation would mandate all foods that contain genetically modified organisms, also know as GMOs, to display a warning label on their packaging. He argues that this would be detrimental to the good name of these types of foods when they do not deserve to be shamed. I agree that the genetically engineered crops should not be labeled, but not because that would tarnish their name. However, the reasoning for my opinion comes from the perspective that it would not only be impractical

    Read More

  • GMO Labeling Essay

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    The technological advances are increasing each year, and electronics are not the only things upgraded. The food eaten in the United States has also been touched by science in the form of GMOs. Although GMOs have been in the US food industry for almost twenty years, consumers should have the right to know what is in our food with mandatory GMO labeling.

    Read More

  • Roundup Ready Crops

    1941 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kruft, David. “Impacts Of Genetically-Modified Crops and Seeds on Farmers”. The Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center. The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, Nov. 2001. Web. 29 Apr. 2014

    Read More

  • Argument Against GMO Labeling

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Until the government creates mandates for issuing labels on foods that contain genetically modified ingredients, there are measures that can be taken by common citizens and supporters of GMO labeling in order to keep Americans safe in the meantime. Since “study after study points to potential health risks” (“Whole Foods Market”), supporters need to raise awareness amongst the rest of society in order to generate a large group that can begin to press the government to create a law to handle the issue. It is in “the state’s interest [to] protect consumers from false or potentially misleading communication or prevent consumers from suffering unwitting harms” (Adler). Moreover, the government must be the one to put an official end to the lack of

    Read More

  • The Controversy Over Genetically Modified Foods ( GMOs)

    2216 Words  | 5 Pages

    Whitman, Deborah. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?". Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Available online at http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/overview.html. Accessed November 9, 2003.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Organisms and How They Have Changed Food in America

    1669 Words  | 4 Pages

    Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.

    Read More

  • Genetically Engineered Food

    2337 Words  | 5 Pages

    Anderson, Jon C., Cheryl J. Wachenheim, and William C. Lesch. "AgBioForum 9(3): Perceptions of Genetically Modified AndOrganic Foods and Processes." AgBioForum. 2006. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.

    Read More

  • Essay On Gmo Food Pros And Cons

    1107 Words  | 3 Pages

    GMOs can also bear consequences in terms of genetic pollution and alteration, from contamination and mutation to adaptation to evolution to species extinction. Indeed, some claims are not well supported and may require testing, like genetic alteration through consumption or the validity of correlating animal health deficits with GM feeds. However, overall, GM foods clearly affect the world negatively in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem impacts. With all of the controversy surrounding GMO foods: health versus biodiversity; benefits versus dangers; pros versus cons, a topic that always arises is the subject of labeling. Labeling has been a matter of discussion for years and surprisingly, it is a hot debate that is still full of life.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Organisms are Safe

    1945 Words  | 4 Pages

    Webber, G. D. Regulation of Genetically Engineered Organisms and Products. Office of Biotechnology | Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/biotech_info_series/bio11.html - anchor96278

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of GMOs

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    If crops were affected by droughts, disease and insects, having destroyed many acres across America’s Midwest region, the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) would not be beneficial in regenerating new crops. Genetically modifying foods (GMOs) “are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding” (nongmoproject.org). Most research done has concluded no positive benefits in using GMOs. There are serious health risks associated with eating GM foods based on scientific research done around the world. The purpose of GMOs are to increase production of crop yield and reduce pesticide use but research says otherwise. If farmers wanted to continue using GMOs to produce crops, labeling should be mandatory to allow consumers to have a conscious choice whether or not to eat GM food. Through research it has been proven that the use of GMOs to increased production of crops during a time of drought or disease have no benefits, just risks.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Food are Pandora´s Box to Humans and the Environment

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Genetically modified foods are a "Pandora's box" of known and unknown risks to humans and the environment. They have been forced onto the American public by multinational biotech and agribusiness corporations without adequate oversight and regulation by the United States government (Driscoll, SallyMorley, David C).”Genetically Modified Food is food which has been chemically altered by scientists during the production process to give the food more nutrients, better appearance, and a longer shelf-life (Rich, Alex K.Warhol, Tom). The importance of this issue is that these GMO’s can actually have a negative effect in our society in general. It could mutate in a negative way and cause cancer or other diseases. Genetically modified food should be strictly controlled due to its various detrimental effects on the environment, human health, and potentially insect/animal effects.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Foods Should Be Banned

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boyers, Lindsay. "Genetically Modified Foods." SF chronicle [San Francisco] 03 03 2013, Demand Media n. pag. Print.

    Read More

More about Should Genetically Modified Organisms Foods Be Labeled?

Open Document