What are genetically modified foods?” is what many people ask. Genetically modified foods are altered in an unnatural way where the DNA goes through recombination, alteration in genes (World health organization). Genetically modified foods are unnatural organisms that have been altered by scientists. Many people hear of these genetically modified organisms but do not really know what the benefits or consequences truly are. These organisms can be beneficial in the sense that they get rid of bad genes in foods that can lead to many great advancements for the future. On the other hand, unknown consequences to the health of people are becoming more popular due to genetic engineering. Therefore, genetically modified foods should be eliminated from …show more content…
Most companies do not aspire to label their products because they fear losing clientele (Donsky). However, the companies should understand that it is not their call to dictate if they want to label their foods or not because their customers have a right to know what their foods contain. Companies should not fear losing clientele because if they really cared about their consumers, they would label their products that use genetic engineering, and depending on their client’s responses, they can either alter their products to use less genetic modification or use none at all. It has also been found that labeling foods will be costly (Steinhauer and Strom), but the cost of people's health is more important than wasting more money for labeling. If companies really cared about their consumers then they would be more careful of their wishes towards genetic engineering. If companies were to label their products, like Campbell, then more and more companies will also label and eventually labeling will become common. When Campbell decided to label their products they thought of the people because “92 percent of consumers” want their food labeled, and they believe that people have a “right to know what's in their foods” (Kratochwill). Campbell, however, did not remove the genetically modified ingredients from their products (Kratochwill) but has still kept most of their customers even after they decided to label their …show more content…
Some of the biggest effects are pollution, superweeds, and health impacts. Because of genetic engineering, new and powerful plants have been created known as “Superweeds” and these superweeds are resistant to pesticides (Donsky). Since they are resistant to pesticides Superweeds require an excessive amount of chemicals in order to kill them off which causes pollution in the environment. Pollution has been a problem in the environment, but it has gotten worse because of the consequences of genetic engineering. It is ironic because genetic engineers are trying to create crops that are resistant to bugs to stop the use of pesticides, but instead they create Superweeds that require excessive amounts of pesticides. Also, unknown allergens are occurring in people because of the alterations in the genes of organisms (Donsky). This means that new types of allergens are being created from genetically modified foods which are impacting the health of people because people would not have obtained a new allergen if genetic engineering did not exist. There are also unknown impacts to the human body because of the lack of long term studies (Donsky). However, if these studies continue on the health of people who eat genetically modified organisms, then the impact that they have in the human body will be discovered. Furthermore, until the studies have been accomplished there is no assurance for the effect that is causes. Therefore,
Many food companies frown upon the idea of having to put labels on their foods because consumers will not want their product if their are too many GMOs in the product. If food companies were forced to put GMO labels on their products they may feel inclined to put less GMO in their products to cause consumer happiness. With labels on the food products consumers will feel more confident with their purchase to consume that food. Which would cause sales to fly through the roof for many food companies, especially organic food companies. GMO labeling influences consumer behavior, “...the majority of supermarket employees believed that the presence of non-GMO labeling influenced consumer behavior in some way, with 52.9% reporting that it impacted all consumers, 17.6% asserting that it mattered to those who were knowledgeable and interested in food without genetic modification, and only 5.9% feeling that their clientele would not be interested because of its demographics.” (Wunderlich). According to a survey done by Wunderlich, Gatto and Mangano where they investigate the current Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) and organic labeling policies and to determine the impact on consumer choice. They found: “There is a need for clearer labeling policies regarding GMO foods. If GMO foods were labeled more clearly, consumers would be able to make more educated purchasing decisions and
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 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.
There are varied arguments that favor or are against compulsory labeling of genetically engineered food products. Those who argue for the labeling of such products argue that consumers have a right to know what is contained in their food, particularly food products for which there have been health and environmental concerns (Caswell 26). Compulsory labeling will permit consumers to identify and avoid those food products that may cause them problems. On the contrary, those who argue against mandatory labeling point out that
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
People nourish themselves by consuming three meals each day. Eating is essential for survival, but what is actually in food we eat? Many are oblivious to that. People should be very informed to what is actually going into their gastrointestinal system because it significantly impacts their health, and it can between life or death. Gone are the days when people saw every step of how their food was manufactured until it got onto their table to eat. With increased human population on Earth, consequently, mass production is ubiquitous. The commonality of mass production, has led to genetically modified foods. Genetically modified foods are foods that have been genetically engineered to produce effects that make them more desirable. It is also worth noting, that GMOs are not on food labeled when sold to the public. Many people are unaware of genetically modified foods as they have significant negative effects on humans in conjunction and the environment.
Do you want to know what you are eating? Have you gotten sick over the past few years and not known why? Many people have gotten sick over the increase of food products with GMOs within them. Over the years many have argued that GMOs aren’t what is causing the increase in death and the decrease in birth, but many say it is the problem. GMOs should be labeled on our foods today because of the amount of health problems, and consumers want to know what they are eating. After all, it is what is going into our bodies.
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
Abhorrently, today's consumers are faced with discomfort regarding food safety. For the past 20 years millions of people around the world have been eating plants genetically modified by scientists. Genetically modified crops are tweaked to resist the harsh herbicides. In a recent article titled Labels for GMOs are bad the author argues that GMOs are safe for human consumption. In fact,Suspected culprit in devastating 'fiber disease' statistics show that “Around 70 percent of processed foods in the U.S contain genetically modified ingredients.” ( The Editors 1 ) I strongly oppose The Editors point of view towards GMO labeling because consumers want to know what they are eating. GMOs should indeed be labeled to inform what's in the product
the rise in advanced technology, Genetically Modified Foods were engineered and created. Not only were they new in the sense that it provided an easier source of growing, but it also brought ,with it, a new controversy across the world. Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) are created by moving a gene from one animal to another. An example of this would be moving the gene of an Icefish to a tomato to give the tomato a longer shelf life. GMOs were intended to help increase food production and help foods last longer however, GMOs have become very controversial because of their potential health and environmental effects. GMOs could have detrimental effects on the population and on the Earth.
In twenty years, the Earth’s population will need fifty-five percent more food than it is currently producing with the same or fewer resources. This issue could be resolved, but the full effects are still unknown. Genetically modified organisms are plants, animals, or microorganisms that have had their genetic material changed in a way that does not happen naturally. According to the United States’ National Library of Medicine, genetically engineering organisms has been around since the 1990’s. There is controversy, however, in whether genetically modified foods should be used as a part of our diet because, although, it can provide more nutritious food, it could cause
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
There are certain basic necessities the human body needs in order to survive. Water, food, clothing and shelter are just some of those most basic needs. We, as humans, have been striving to conquer nature in order to make our lives easier. As we have occupied this earth for thousands of years and survived plagues and wars, one of our most basic needs has always challenged us; how to make more food to satisfy an ever growing population. Eventually our technology afforded us the ability to modify food to preserve it longer and grow more without fear of pests or blights. However, in doing so, the question arises: Do you know what is in your food? This is a question many consumers ask themselves as it
Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material, otherwise known as DNA. Since biochemists Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer pioneered genetic engineering in 1973, the process has grown to have numerous applications such as medicine production, for example insulin (Mckinley). However, a main topic of concern is the application of genetic engineering on foods that we eat everyday. By modifying the genetic "blueprint" of crops, it is possible to improve many aspects of agriculture. But with any sort of scientific discovery that allows humans to act as Mother Nature, genetically modifying organisms has been a very controversial topic. Yet our society continues to grow, and the need for the benefits of genetically modified foods continues to grow. Genetically modifying foods should be permitted in our society because it allows larger yields of crops to be produced, produces foods with higher nutritional values, and reduces our global ecological footprint.
A new kind of foods called the genetically modified foods has been creating a quiet revolution in the American market for the past several years. Scientists are able to produce these new foods by transferring genes from one organism into another across species boundaries. This new technique has been developed to improve the shelf life, nutritional content, flavor, color, and texture of foods. Since 1994, about 45 genetically modified foods such as tomato, corn, soybeans, canola, and potatoes have been marketed in the United States. About two-thirds of foods that are processed in U.S. contain genetically modified ingredients. So, we the people are consuming these foods without realizing the fact that they are not produced naturally.