France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, all member states of the European Union and also participants of EU’s legislation and policy on GMOs, amongst other EU countries. A policy that is aimed to prevent harmful effects on the environment as well as monitor the safety of humans and animals in the area (Library of Congress, 2015). It is also seen to be one that accurately represents the concerns of local consumers and producers in the area. The success of this policy is due to science-based risk assessment that is designed to protect the health of organisms in the area; the success of this policy has led to no human or animal health related GMO incident in member countries. The United States is currently adhering to the opposite ideal and does not have a federal law relating to the regulation of genetically modified organisms. Furthermore, since the US is so heavily dependent on genetically modified foods, regulations on GMOs are not aimed at restricting production but rather focusing on the nature of production. (Library of Congress, 2015) After learning about the success of a restrictive GMO policy such as the one implemented in the EU, an average American consumer may wonder why the US has not adopted a similar policy? Or why the US might not be able to adopt a comparable federal legislation? The unforeseen issue with the United States government choosing not to restrict the increasingly growing GMO sector, leads to several adverse issues for an average daily consumer. As with
Our policy could also receive push back in regard to priorities within the GMO industry. Our policy prioritizes further testing for possible long-term consequences that GMOs can cause in order to provide evidence that GMOs are safe for concerned consumers. People against our policy might argue that a faster implementation of GMOs into our agriculture for the sake of food security takes priority over educating the public about GMOs. We feel like this policy provides balance and considers everybody's best interest on both sides of the issue because it addresses the concerns of people against GMOs with the long term goal of increasing the usage of GMOs and recognizing the necessity of them. In addition, pushing GMOs into the public too fast could cause defects within products to slide through testing without notice, causing problems later down the line when they are made available to the
In the essay “Genetically Modified Food: Watching What We Eat,” by Julie Cooper, she argues against the rampant use of genetically modified food (GMO) without any current form of regulation. Cooper discusses the possibility of health risks to those consuming foods with altered genes and the food’s capabilities to have far-reaching health risks. She continues with a discussion as to how and why the creation and use of the GMOs have become so unregulated. She then discusses the response, which is the public’s cry for their right to make informed choices. Other topics discusses are the political, environmental, and corporate ramifications of the rise of GMOs.
With research showing that GMOs are bad for human consumption, there hasn’t been any policy restrictions made towards GMO foods. Here specifically it is up to the FDA and the government to pass the bill that would make these restrictions mandatory. Currently, this policy is being ignored and thought to not be necessary when factoring in human health. In other words, these large federal agencies are ignoring the facts and choosing to not make GMO restrictions
Approximately eighty percent of food eaten in the United States contains GMOs, but not many people know what they are actually consuming from their food sources (Prah). Genetically modified organism, also known as genetically modified organisms engineered in a lab by scientists that alter the genes of plants and animals. By fixating DNA from other organisms into America’s food sources, they create substances that are detrimental to the health of human beings. In addition to this, these genetically modified organisms are completely foreign to the plants and animals they undergo; their genes can become damaged from inserting the genes of the organisms. This unnatural process can interfere with a metabolic pathway in the plant or animal. In addition, studies have shown that on average forty-four percent of people had the “Round-up Ready” herbicide, glyphosate, which is used on genetically modified crops, found in their bodies (Stonebrook). Both, the genetically modified organisms and the chemicals used on them, cause several problems to occur in humans and other organisms which consume GMOs. These include tumors, damaged immune systems, allergies, and infertility; this is dangerous to the health of humans and to their regular body processes. Americans have the right to know what is going into their bodies and how these man-made GMOs are affecting them. By the government
Over the past decades, agriculture technology and productivity has been changing drastically to fit the needs of the world population. The largest agricultural production country, the United States, has been experiencing these changes more rapidly just to meet these agricultural demands. This in turn has lead to serious controversies over the ethics and morals of some agricultural practices, namely Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). With the US population increasing every year, US farmers had to develop some way to meet the high demands of the people, therefore, GMOs were developed to help increase crop yields while also helping farmers financially by using less pesticides and herbicides.
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
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by
Sixty four countries around the world have banned the use of GMOs, otherwise known as Genetically Modified Organisms, within farms and supermarkets. However, the United States, a usually technologically advanced country, has yet to invest much time or effort into this endeavour, one that would make food healthier for people and protect the environment. The US government has taken a step back in this effort for healthier food options, as in the country, companies that use GMOs are not required to label their food as such. Some companies and businesses, however, are working to make a change in the case for GMOs in the US, by advocating minimized GMO usage, menu transparency, or the complete ban of the usage.
The United States needs to ban deadly genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Maggie Cadwell has a very suitable explanation of what GMOs are. “Genetically modified organisms are plants or animals that have undergone a process where scientists alter their genes with DNA from different species of living organisms, bacteria, or viruses to get desired traits such as resistance to disease or tolerance of pesticides” (Cadwell). GMOs are destroying our food system and our human bodies. “People who eat GMOs have shown to have a higher risk of cancer, birth deformities, and tumors verses people who eat organically. GM crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For example, GM crops are eliminating the habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in amphibians, embryonic deaths, and endocrine disruptions, not to mention organ damage in animals even at very low doses” (Smith). Several countries like Austria, Hungary, Greece, Japan, Luxembourg, France, Germany, including fifty-three other countries, have banned these life-threatening GMOs. Why have they done this? Each country has run trustworthy tests, experiments, and systematic tests on almost every Monsanto product. That is sixty reasons why we have to ban these products. The United States needs to ban
Consumers consider a product, as safe for utilization, if there are no proven long-term effects. As with GMOs, there has been no proven results, to justify them as unsafe, or unhealthy. A report was held, to examine the health from those in the United States and Canada, contrastly, with the health of residents in the United Kingdom, and Western Europe. In North America, there are no GMO regulations, and genetically engineered products are the majority of consumption. In the UK, and Europe, there are many strict legislatures on consuming genetically engineered foods. After the study, there was no difference in the health of those in North America, and those in the UK and Europe
GMOs have been deemed completely safe and legal. Other countries however, have firmly set their feet on the other side of the fence. Although it doesn’t directly affect us Americans right now, it could in 50 years when there are nine billion people. The simple fact is, if they aren’t using GMOs than they are not getting the greatest yield possible out of their crops, and if they remain anti-GMO they won’t be pulling what little weight their smaller countries can pull when crunch time comes and our world needs more food
Although new label regulations, should relieve some fears, by year 2020, most GMOs will have appropriate labeling. There are institutions within the agricultural community that can help resolve the anxiety that oversees the mandatory regulations, which adhere to the reproduction and distribution of GMOs. The Department of Agriculture (DOA), inspects and normalizes safety concerns of growing of crops, whereas the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), lets us know if foods are safe to consume. One of the most controversial institutions is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The EPA protects the environment. Propaganda or misinformation continues to effect the small farmer, allowing the Big Corporations to slip through the cracks on globally- agreed mandatory regulations, testing, and exporting. These processes are critical, and must have approval, whereas the monitoring and data, is preserved for future reference, clarifying “its main objective is to determine whether the GM crop is “substantially equivalent” to its non-GM varieties and whether it poses an allergen risk” (Norwood, Oltenacu, Lorenzo, & Lancaster, 2015, p.
Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO’s, are organisms that have had genes from a different organism implanted into their own genetic code in order to produce a new result (“Genetically engineered foods”). This practice has elicited polar responses across the globe, for a multitude of reasons. Besides the obvious reason, being the morality of changing an organism's DNA for human benefit, one frequently noted problem is the monopolization of GMO’s by the company Monsanto, whose name is nearly synonymous with GMO’s due to their involvement with these crops. Monsanto has been at the center of many controversies regarding GMO’s, and is even considered to be ranked third to last for reputation among all major American companies (Bennett). Most
GMOs, (genetically modified organisms) have been a topic of interest in the social eyes for years. Since they’ve been created, many people have voiced and written about their opinions on GMOs, and whether they are dangerous or not. Created to expand the genetic diversity of crops and animals, many don’t know whether GMOs are good or bad, and neither do researchers. Though there hasn’t been any evidence claiming whether GMOs are good or bad, it has certainly not stopped the public from creating their own opinions. Since no one knows the truth behind GMO, it has opened a window of opportunities for companies including Monsanto to voice their support of GMO, while other companies like the Non-GMO Project voice their
“Unquestionably the EU now exerts the most important and effective influence on both British and Irish environmental policy and politics (McGowan, 1999: 175).” The European Union has developed itself into one of the world leaders in relation to environmental standards and its ability to apply legislation to its member states. Both, at present and in the past, challenges and opportunities have been encountered, and will continue to be encountered into the future. Indeed, Europe now directly impacts on food producers and manufacturers through the implementation of various policies such as the Nitrates Directive and issues surrounding Climate Change - both of which are the dealt with in this paper respectively. Through these and other