Genetically Modified Foods And The United States

GM foods are in the middle of many controversial issues; primarily these are addressed by conflicts over the relative pros and cons of GM foods. Major biotech companies like ‘Monsanto ' and ‘Cargill ' are promoting GM foods by focusing only on their beneficial aspects, giving least importance to their negative effects on safety, environment and biodiversity. On the other hand, governmental regulators and nongovernmental organizations, along with some scientists, are strictly opposing this type of blind promotion of GM food by enlightening the people on their negative effects The controversies associated with GM foods include issues such as safety, environmental benefits and risks, biodiversity, and ethical and social considerations.GM foods are implicated for adverse human health risks like people being allergic to it, environmental hazards such as development of super weeds, and pesticide and antibiotic resistance in disease causing organisms. On the other

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

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).

There are many aspects of the Food and Drug Administration’s current regulations that are of great concern to many. For instance, the regulation of GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, is a largely debated subject, especially in relation to genetically modified food, or GM food. As described by nongmoproject.com, “GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.” Most of the American population may not even realize this, but according to nongmoproject.com: “In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of

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.

Another contributing factor to the controversial nature of GMOs is the fact that a majority of the world does not consider such food products safe, since “ 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” (The Non-GMO). However, even though genetically engineered organisms are widely considered to be unsafe in many aspects, the U.S. government has little to no restrictions on the production and consumption of these products.

This article brings about a vital question to the forefront, are GMOs really safe? The article goes on to dissect all the myths about genetic modification and points out the fact that there has been no strict regulation on the production

Food is everywhere. It is an integral part of society and is a major part of everyday life. We plan our days around mealtimes, pack snacks for work and school, and visit the grocery store at least once a week. However, even our best, well thought out efforts to achieve a healthy lifestyle leave us mostly in the dark about what we are really putting into our bodies. GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms, are organisms that have been bioengineered, planted, and sold to the public as food. These organisms are unnatural and have proven to be harmful. Unfortunately, the labeling of foods containing GMOs is not government mandated. Monsanto, the largest GMO producing conglomerate, will go to all lengths to convince the public that their product is safe and does not need to be labeled for consumers, despite the fact that countries around the world have stood up and refused to sell their products to their citizens. Unfortunately, the United States is not only not among these countries, but the government has shown little care for the global issue. Everyone has the right to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies and feeding their loved ones. For this reason I will be exploring how, with the existing research, GMOs are FDA approved, as well as how this relates to Monsanto’s fight against GMO labeling.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate manufactured products containing GMOs. Examples of FDA product responsibility are the safety

GM plants that are destined to be eaten are checked for possible dangers, and the results are evaluated by multiple agencies. The three main agencies involved in regulating GMOs are the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Library of Congress, 2015). The FDA regulates GMOs in conjunction with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is responsible for protecting agriculture from pests and disease, including making sure that all new genetically engineered plant varieties

Around seventy percent of the United State’s processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients. A GMO is an organism, whose DNA has been altered by adding another organism’s DNA to create a certain trait, such as corn that kills bugs. With genetically modified foods, feeding the hungry will be easier, along with farmers being able to produce more crops. The US should allow the production and selling of more genetically modified organisms.

According to the non-GMO project, The USA and Canada have thought GMO’s to be safe based on studies and experiments by the companies who make them. Furthermore, scientific evidence has indeed proved that GMOs do not prove a threat to human health. Also, “GMO’s have to pass safety regulations in order to measure toxicity and the potential to provoke allergic reaction”. (World Health Organization) In the results of the safety assessment GMO’s are non-allergenic GMOs have been tested by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization.

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.

In contrast to popular beliefs, there are in fact regulations and standards that a GMO must satisfy (FDA). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the food consumed and medicine prescribed for consumers (FDA). In order for a company to research, produce or market a drug or food they must first do extensive research and test the product on animals to ensure it’s safeness and effectiveness (FDA). If the product does not meet the health and safety standards, regardless of its manufacturing method, the item is not sold (FDA).

Evidence: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ignored the findings of many of its own scientists regarding GMO foods. During the course of a lawsuit against the FDA demanding GMO labeling, it was revealed that the FDA's own researchers were concerned with the premature approval of GMO products, and that these foods could be a risk. However, the FDA publicly stated at the time that all of its scientists were supportive of GMO technology" (Anderson 3).