Food produced with genetically modified organisms (GMO) warrants considerable debate. Several consumer watchdog groups, like Greenpeace International, advocate banning GMO foods. Others, however, maintain that GMO foods are safe for human consumption and can help feed the world while reducing the use of pesticides. Nonetheless, although public opinion is divided over the acceptance and safety of genetically modified foods, one thing is certain: Consumers should be made explicitly aware of GM foods; these foods must be labeled. People have a right to know what they are ingesting and how it is produced. In fact, 94% of Americans favor labeling genetically modified foods (Hesson). Even though the FDA does not currently require labeling of goods produced with genetically modified organisms, some estimate that “at least 60% of products in US supermarkets contain GMOs” (Hesson). A few of these foods include: “baby formula, tortilla chips, taco shells, veggie burgers, corn muffin mix and baco bits” (IPM & Organic). The increasing prevalence of unlabelled and potentially hazardous genetically modified foods in the American diet is cause for concern.
Corporations and agencies with vested interests in GMO foods assert, on the contrary, that “[t]here is no science based reason to specifically label these foods. Given that the scientifically uninformed consumer will almost always react with fear to new technology, labeling would not be productive” (IPM & Organic). Admittedly, numerous agencies attest to the short term safety of genetically modified foods. The FDA considers genetically modified food to be inconsequentially different from food produced by unaltered, conventional crops. Likewise, “the National Academy of Science r...
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... almost impossible. However, given a choice I would prefer the unmodified food. Although I do not have an illogical fear or disposition to genetically modified food, natural whole foods appear to be a safer choice. This, nevertheless, has an exception. The price between GM and traditional food products must be equal or comparable. As the price of the genetically modified food decreases in relation to the price of the traditional counterpart, I would be more susceptible to purchase the GM product.
In the end, GMO foods are very promising. They have the potential to feed the world while also reducing pesticide use. Hopefully, in the near future, the health concerns surrounding GM foods will be definitively debunked. Until then however, the consumer needs to be aware of what they are ingesting; GMO food labels must be enacted and enforced.
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.
A non-GMO label doesn’t necessarily mean “healthy”. White sugar, flour, and processed ingredients if not genetically modified are considered non GMO. Recently Cheerios made their ingredients GMO free. This label made Cheerios seems as a “healthy conscience choice” when in fact they are not healthy at all. The truth is that this breakfast cereal is highly processed and is best to be avoided despite the “healthy halo” of being approved by the National Heart Association and GMO free. The truth appears on the nutrition label and the ingredients (Wartman). “If you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it” The voluntary labeling places a burden on the consumer. The average Americans are forced to navigate confusing and cluttered food landscape” (Wartman). A mandatory labeling law is vital to give clear and concise information to citizens.
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
Our attitudes toward GMO foods range from hostility to indifference. GMO foods, like pesticide-resistant Roundup Ready soybeans and fast-growing salmon, seem to exist primarily to pad corporate pockets. Most people are not aware that they are eating GMO foods. The greater percentage of the population is just looking at the price tag instead of what is in the food product. This technology has the potential to provide sustainable nutrient rich food sources throughout the ages if the science is not abused for the food industry’s
The use of GMOs in foods has drastically risen in the United States. The Non-GMO project, a non-profit organization supports this by saying, “In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food”(Non-GMO Project). I decided to go shopping to try and find as many products as I could that were labeled GMO-free, I only found one product labeled GMO-free. Many people that purchase vegetables or fruits at the store are unaware that the foods they ar...
In recent discussions of health and wellness, the topic of genetically modified organisms in food has become very prevalent. A genetically modified organism or GMO is any living thing that has had its genes microscopically modified to pick up a trait it would originally lack. Almost every American has heard the term “GMO” however many do not know what they are and what benefits they hold. Thousands of people are beginning to eat “organic” foods free from GMOs because they believe the modifications to the food will cause health complications for those who consume them. On the other hand, the majority of Americans eat some kind of GMO in just about every meal. Research shows they are found in 80% of all processed foods in America today (Scipioni).
“Any politician or scientist that tells you these GMO products are safe is either very stupid or lying”(David Suzuki). GMO labeling has been a big topic in the U.S, and can be scary when or if people think about it. GMO’s should be labeled in grocery stores and markets all around the world because the people who are eating these products should know what is in there food because they can be bad for the consumers and could potentially cause harm to their body.
It is common today, to relate our health to the foods we eat. If you’ve ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat”, then you must ask yourself a very important question- How do you know what you are, if you do not know what is in your food? With the skyrocketing concern about genetically modified foods (GMO’s), consumers are wanting food that has been genetically modified to be labeled. According to dictionary.com a GMO is, “an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering, so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there”. In her article, “Genetically Modified Food: A Modern Term for Old-Fashioned Husbandry”, Tiffany Snider claims that the cost of labeling genetically modified foods outweighs
GMO labeling is important because there is uncertainty in the safety of GMOs, which indicates a need for long term monitoring, therefore labels are needed to facilitate monitoring by the scientific community and diagnosis by healthcare professionals. The point being made here is that, while the technology of GMO appears to be safe and has been in use commercially for nearly 20 years, it is nonetheless prudent to watch for problems (Dahl). In their scholarly article titled “’Does Contain’ vs. ‘Does Not Contain’; Does it Matter which GMO Label is Used?”, John Crespi and Stephan Marette quote statistics showing that “…21% of Americans feel that GM foods pose ‘serious safety risks’…”, and that the percentages for European nations range from 30%
In a world where healthy eating is always a fad, GMO Labeling is a hot topic. There are several misconceptions about GMOs. Products containing GMO's should be appropriately labeled because inappropriate marketing strategies could defer possible consumers, appropriate labels could help advocate understanding that GMO is not a negative additive and consumers have the right to know what is in their food. A GMO is defined as “an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that it’s DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there.” Research involving human consumption in GMOs has been in place since 1980, the FDA approved funding for GMOs in 1982. Even though they were approved in 1882, products containing GMOs did not hit grocery stores until late 1994.
“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.
How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.
In most cases, people believe the information that is readily available to them. So, no wonder most people think that GMOs are bad for them and the environment. A study on the public view and the scientific view of genetically modified organisms showed that “The American public remains divided on the issue of genetic modification. A 2014 Pew Research Center survey revealed that 57 % of 2002 respondents consider genetically modified organisms generally unsafe. In comparison, 88% of 3748 scientists consider GMOs generally safe” (Mintz 1). Usually, people hear something about a topic and that is it, what they hear is what they believe. Companies that produce food that are genetically modified and scientists that believe in the use of GMOs do not go out of their way to show the public the years of research that have gone into proving that genetically modified organisms are in fact safe for humans and the environment. Therefore, the companies who are against the use of genetically modified organisms, such as the Non-GMO Project, are the ones the public believe because they campaign on their ideas that GMOs are unsafe. It is the fault of stakeholders, such as Monsanto and General Mills, for the misconception of the public regarding genetically modified
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO/s) have evolved enormously during the last decade. With the evolution of GMOs, comes the natural argument for and against them. Most of the arguments that are taking place are directed towards the health of human beings. It is still unsure what the long-term effects of consuming GMOs will have on humans, but only time will tell (Nodoushani, Sintay, & Stewart, 2015, p. 139). Other arguments that are being made are the effects that GMOs will have on the environment as well as the argument of requiring labeling of all Genetically Modified Foods. In this paper, I will discuss the benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms which include the health benefits, environmental benefits and the benefits of labeling,
With all of the controversy surrounding GMO foods, a topic that always arises is the subject of labeling. Labeling has been a matter of discussion for years and surprisingly, a consensus has not been reached. In the labeling argument, big organizations that oppose labeling claim that mandatory labels would increase costs. Supporters of labels meanwhile, argue in favor of the consumers’ right to know of just what it is that they are consuming. The debate of cost over right to know seems to be what fuels the persistent war between supporters and opposers of labeling. While there is huge opposition, labeling GM foods is a necessity and needs to become a reality in America.