Essay On GMO Labeling

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

The battle over whether food with GMOs should be labeled as such or not, continuez in The Battle Over GMOs by Alessandra Potenza illustrates what a GMO is and why they need to be labeled. First of all GMO stands for genetically modified organism, meaning GMOs are organisms that have been genetically modified to include a gene from another species to produce a certain trait. The reason that some people are very upset at the whole GMO thing is because some companies that include GMOs in their products are refusing to label the fact that they use GMOs. Outrage has sparked everywhere over this and people are demanding that companies using GMOs in their products must label them. The companies on the other hand are claiming that they have a right to privacy and are claiming that the FDA, which stands for Food and Drug Administration, have approved the GMO usage in their products.. This reader believes that we the people have a right to know what is in our food and decide if we still want to consume it.

A GMO is a genetically modified organism that goes through the process of genetic engineering. This is when genes of one organism are extracted, altered, and then artificially placed into another organism to then grow. We typically see GMOs in the food we consume every day. These foods include fruits and vegetables, however the most common organisms that are genetically engineered include, corn, soy, and cotton. It is ultimately the unnatural cross breeding of plants, animals, bacteria, and virus genes (Non-GMO Project). But now why is there a debate for placing a label to notify consumers of GMOs in their foods? Do we know the potential harm that GMOs can cause? We have the right to know what we are putting into our bodies and what is found in our everyday foods.

Foods with GMO ingredients need to be labeled because they are bad for your health. GMOs are not proven to be safe in the long run. The FDA has not run any tests to tell whether or not GMOs are safe. GMOs are linked to birth defects, and to Gluten disorders. According to USRTK, “ The FDA does not require independent pre-market safety testing for genetically engineered food. As a matter of practice, the agrichemical companies submit their own studies to the FDA as part of a

The new GMO Labeling bill S. 764, that was passed July 2016 after being tacked onto the National Sea Grant College Program Act, requires companies to disclose their inclusion of GMOs in their products directly on the label. This legislation panders to consumers that are already against GMOs while creating more economic strain on consumers who cannot choose to eat non-GMO due to budgetary restrictions. This bill will have serious implications not only in our economy and agricultural industry, but many economies and agricultural industries worldwide. Recent studies of how extensive the effect of this bill will be on the consumers of the United States are estimating upwards of $1,050 annual increase in our grocery spending to accommodate. The damage occurs when food producers that use GMOs inevitably follow the trend of agricultural industries before them and switch to non-GMO ingredients if they believe that it could potentially save public relations and customer loyalty. These switches have grievous implications, including triggering a setback on technology currently being developed and technology that could be developed in the future. 70% of products consumed in the U.S. have genetically engineered materials in them. These labeling laws do not just affect some consumers. In fact, those who are advocating strongly for this labeling system are likely not going to be impacted to the same degree as lower income Americans. This is due to lower income Americans not having the

Whether or not to require labeling of GM foods is a major issue in the persistent debate over the risks and benefits of foods crops that are produced using biotechnology. Bills requiring compulsory labeling have been introduced and proposed in different levels, but not evenly implemented. Some of the common genetically engineered crops include soya beans, canola, corn and cotton. The US Food and Drug Administration policy on the labeling of GM food requires labeling is the food has significantly distinct nutritional property (US FDA par 2). Further, labeling is required if the GM food product includes an allergen that consumers may not expect to find in such a product, or if the product contains a toxicant that is beyond acceptable limits (US FDA par 3).

The debate over genetically modified foods continues to haunt producers and consumers alike. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are foods that have been modified through bioengineering to possess certain characteristics. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or increased nutritional content (Whitman, 2000). The debate continues to grow as to whether these genetically altered foodstuffs are the answer to hunger in the coming years, or whether we are simply children playing with something that we do not have the capacity to understand. One of the biggest debates in the GMO issue is whether producers need to use labeling of

The Food Drug and Cosmetic Act contains a labeling law for any positive and negative “material” changes to the nutrition of food. For example, trans fats are labeled because they are related to cardiovascular disease (Murphy). Products containing peanuts and other allergens are required to be labeled due to the potential adverse health effects if eaten by individuals with nut or other allergies. In 1992, the Food and Drug Administration addressed the labeling of GMOs in a policy statement amended to the act. The policy states that foods developed by genetic

The advancement of technology has allowed our generation to genetically modify food for what is believed to be beneficial to consumers. The environmental and health effects of genetically modified foods have generated controversy about whether these foods are safe. With such advances, the use of genetically modified food is expanding, even though they 're unlabeled. Genetically modified foods should be labeled because of the possible health, environmental, and economic risks. Once a consumer knows what they are paying for, it is fair to produce and market such foods.

Ever since their entrance onto the consumer market in the last two decades of the twentieth century, genetically modified organisms (often referred to as GMOs) have been getting mixed reviews from the public. Genetically modified consumer products (primarily food) have pushed the barriers of some people's comfort levels. Born out of either a lack of knowledge or a sincere concern for public health or the environment, a consumer rights movement has been planted around the world pushing for labeling of genetically modified food products. This movement has matured in many places to a degree where interest groups have successfully lobbied governments into adopting criteria for labeling transgenic food

Or are you unsure of what these substances truly are? Majority of people are completely clueless when it comes to ingredients on food labels. These labels always include the names of ingredients and substances the average person has never even heard of. When it comes to GMOs on labels, the situation would not be different. People may be confused or suspicious about GMO labeling. Some may turn down the product completely if they are ignorant about GMOs. According toapecsec.org, "Many consumers would see a GMO label as a warning to avoid that food product". This would mean less sales for companies using GMOs, since their customers would be scared away by the labeling. It has been said before that people are scared of the unknown, and it is clear that a large portion are unaware of what GMOs are, and believe that they will

The consumers want to know what they are purchasing yet the manufacturers are opposed to labeling and have contributed a considerable amount of money so as to prevent such labeling from occurring (Parker, 2012). The Big 6, which consist of Monsanto, BASF, Bayer Dow, DuPont, and Syngenta, are the dominating companies in regards to genetic modification and they continue to argue and oppose the labeling of their products when sold to consumers (Parker, 2012). There are still plenty of people who would like the labeling of all foods once they are put on the market and sold to the

The idea of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been a controversy for the past several years. Some groups claim that they are perfectly safe and possibly even better than organic foods, while other groups contradict that and say that GMOs are harmful to both the environment and the people that consume them. One of the questions that still hangs in the air through all the debates and protests is “should GMOs be labelled?”

Optional labeling of foods containing GMOs allows their marketers to engage in misleading food advertising. Buyers frequently rely on labels to get a full description of their foods. Leaving out the fact that a product contains GMOs is misleading. It is almost the same as avoiding to mention a specific ingredient in a food. For instance, many foods sold as “all natural” have great amounts of GMOs in them. Consumers have no way of knowing this, because GMOs are not labeled on the package. Many people assume that foods labeled as “all natural” are minimally processed, unmodified and contain no modified organisms. In other words, when buyers read the “all natural” statement on a label, they usually consider that natural indicates straight from mother earth. However, GMOs are not

Should genetically modified foods be labeled? Some think GMOs are completely safe and labeling the food would prove unnecessary and will make food increase in price, while others believe we have a right to know everything in the food the population consume. Nearly all processed food sold in the United States were genetically modified in a lab. GMOs are often used to achieve a certain trait, such as drought tolerance, enhanced nutritional content, insect resistance, and reduced food waste. More than 15 countries have stated labeling genetically modified foods, starting with the Europe Union in 1997. While GMOs can be used for positive reasons, but can have a negative effect (list negative effects of GMOs). This paper will explain side with