Essay

“Should We Care About Genetically Modified Foods?” by John N. Shaw appeared in Food Safety News issue of February 1, 2010, as a feature under the health section on the controversy between the pros and cons of genetically modified foods (Also known as GMO, genetically modified organisms). The main idea of this article is to inform people of the benefits of GMOs . The author, John Shaw received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance with a minor in Marketing from the University of Arkansas in 2007, where he was a “leadership scholar.” In addition to his studies, he has worked as a research assistant with Food Law LL.M. Director Susan Schneider, interned with Wal-Mart Government and Corporate Affairs division, the Arkansas Attorney General Public Protection Division, and with United States Senator Blanche Lincoln. John has a passion for Food Law, sports, and outdoors. In the article, he states, “ I submit that I am no scientist; merely an interested student.” According to the article, he is passionate and has done sufficient research about the topic to support his argument.

Factory farming is currently meeting the needs of supply and demand which is beneficial to the economy. However, with the lack of regulations and enforcement of current regulations by authority entities such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is ethically and morally unjustifiable for these corporations to practice and conduct business this way. The USDA and FDA are not the only players who are to accept blame in this unethical practice. State and federal laws should investigate and collaborate with those agencies to develop, execute, and retain safe and clean practices. Perdue Farms should also accept personal responsibility and be concerned about their workplace, their employees, the animals that make them money, and the consumers. The ethical theory being put into place

Factory Farming is an increasing industry in the United States. These large farms, which evidently appear to be more like slaughterhouses than the typical farms a person can imagine are located throughout the United States. These factory farms contain animals ranging from chickens, sheep, goats, cows, turkeys, and pigs, they also contain dairy products. The conditions for the animals and the employees of these factory farms are inhumane and vile. Life behind the walls of the factory farm is both unsanitary for the animals and the employees. Employees are forced to endure long hours and poor treatment. Animals in these conditions withstand living in cages and are forced to live in uninhabitable ways.

The effects of factory farming is not worth the damage that is done to the health of the environment, animals, and people. The idea of a factory farm is to produce meat at a faster pace, but the way these companies accomplish this task makes life a living hell for the animals. For example, “They’re often given so little space that they can’t even turn around or lie down comfortably. Egg-laying hens are kept in small cages, chickens and pigs are kept in jam-packed sheds, and cows are kept on crowded, filthy feedlots”(Factory). The animals on these farms have to experience constant fear and agony, especially since most factory farmed animals will be genetically manipulated to grow larger or to produce more milk or eggs than they naturally would, and suffer severe pain throughout their entire life(Factory). Animals, especially cows, are being abused not only physically, but mentally as well.. For example, “just within hours of birth, calves are taken away from

“We take care of animals, and the animals take care of us.” (Rollin 212). The preceding phrase is a policy that American farmers in the old west lived their lives by. Modern farmers live do not live their lives anywhere near to this phrase because they own factory farms, and the whole reason for having a factory farm is to fit as many animals in a small space as possible in order to maximize profit. Factory Farms, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) first appeared in the 1920s, right after Vitamins A and D, because if animals are given these vitamins in their diets, exercise and sunlight are not necessities for the animals to grow anymore (In Defense of Animals 1). The growing

Factory farms increase production and help feed the world. Due to an increase in population factory farms holds the world’s food supply in check. Factory farms produce more animals in a quicker matter than any other place. Factory farms help contain waste and help stop some

Have you ever wondered what you’re really eating, where the ground beef in your cheeseburger comes from, or if the animals are getting the same satisfaction and happiness that your hunger gets? Factory farming is the reason for these questions we ask ourselves. They say we should eat animal products that trace back to factory farms because they wouldn’t raise anything that’s not good for us in a “farm”. I say that you shouldn’t eat animal products from factory farms because of the corrupted conditions animals live in. They might object that factory farms is a better choice because you get more bang for your buck versus going to a farmers market and spending an arm and a leg for naturally raised produce.

In the U.S., the concept of factory farms primarily involving animals such as pigs, cattle and chicken began in the 1920’s as a way to increase efficiencies by capturing

In the modern era, large corporations are holding feedlots without respect for ethics or safety. They don’t consider the magnitude of the effects of their actions, and are heedless of the safety of the environment, the animals, and the public. In the end, these large corporations get away with it because of the lack of regulations and penalties that deter them from such practices. In essence, these problems have, and will continue, to persist due to the lack of funding for federal regulatory agencies, as well as the lack of public knowledge and outreach upon the issue. It’s important to note that the food industry must adapt to the demands of the market. If the public calls for safe and wholesome food, then it is the responsibility of producers

Similarly in the documentary Food, Inc. Robert Kenner explains how large corporations have taken over the food chain by influencing how food is grown to how it's sold. These companies are manipulating farmers livestock by keeping them in unsuitable living conditions. Then the animals are killed inhumanly by the workers who are also treated poorly in the factories. The unethical views and practices of these large corporations are scrutinized in both the book and the movie.

Billions of unhealthy animals are slaughtered each year for human consumption. In contrast to the former farms that livestock roamed freely, todays factory farming keeps animals crammed into tight cages where they live in repulsive conditions; and they are fed a cheap diet tainted with antibiotics and pesticides. Cattle are fed corn to be fattened up quicker for slaughter. However, research has indicated

Protein that we find in the meat that we consume is an essential part of our everyday diets, but when people think about how we get our meat, farming is the first to come to mind. Most people associate farming with an image of animals outside on a farm living a happy life. People assume that the animals are properly raised and killed in a peaceful manner, but this is not the case. In today’s farming, factory farms play a major role in producing the meat that we buy from our local grocery stores. The system that factory farms use to produce our meat is corrupt. They abuse their animals, diseases are frequently spread, and the environment is being damaged. Factory farms should modify the way that they operate to end abuse of the animals, stop the spread of disease, and inhibit the damage to our environment.

The term “factory farming” has more to it than it sounds. Factory farming is a term that makes up a multitude of disturbing images, from rows of animals packed tightly into gigantic warehouses and misused workers striving for substandard wages, to massive amounts of pollutants spilling into the environment. It is a big business that tries to maximize profits and minimize cost through the mass production of cheap meat, dairy, and eggs. Factory farms hurt animals and people and also destroy the environment. It has become a major contributor in the alarming

America is the largest meat producer and the second largest meat consumer in the world (Willett, 2014). I used to be one of these consumers eating meat at nearly every meal. After learning more about the beef, dairy, pork, and poultry industries I became a vegan for ethical reasons. You may have heard of “factory farming” which is how most of our food is produced today. Factory farming has negative results including pollution, related health risks to humans, and cruelty to animals. While factory farming can keep up to society’s ever growing demand for meat, what is it really costing us?

In today’s corporate structure, the number one responsibility for many corporations is to bring great returns to their shareholders. The same holds true in agricultural corporations which, leads to the search for any advances which, may increase their profit margin. A large part of agricultural advances that lead to a great financial aspect is genetically modified organisms. Though it increases profit for agricultural corporations and stimulates our economy, our health is at a much greater risk. The GM proponents claim that GMOs provide more nutritional value although, health issues have been proven to increase since the development of genetically modified food. Moving forward, many people are becoming aware of these GMOs in our food and the harmful effects they can have on our health, bringing this awareness to the government.