The Cultural Value Of Food Market

This paper explores the things that have influenced my moral worldview. It includes insight on what I consider when making decisions. I discuss who and what I look too when deciding my morals and what I consider to be right and wrong.

Each action we take as humans determines our personal character and ethical theories guide us and teach us right from wrong (Mosser, 2013).

For a while now, the food that we consume has been generated through a far more complicated process than we had ever thought. Genetically Modified Organisms is the process by which food is being altered and grown in ways that do not occur naturally. Farming practices have been altered from organic to majorly GMO, in order to accommodate this highly profitable industry as well as the high demand by the citizens. GMOs allow food to grow faster, act as a bug repellant, and also cause the product to grow bigger in size in a short time span. We have for the most part stopped relying on local farmers and organic product to know depending on what is most convenient to us. With grocery stores being so readily available with anything you could possibly think of, or ask for, it would be hard to pass this convenience up.

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.

In order to establish eating the healthiest foods possible, any individual can shop for organic foods that have “organic” labels on them. Organically grown foods have an immense amount of pure nutrients and healthier ingredients than GMO food. This high-quality alternative accomodates a healthy and safe lifestyle. The ultimate gain of health is indulged by considering a wise decision such as consuming organic foods and products. Diverse organic produce generates health benefits that outweigh the price premiums associated with it. Due to countless usage of unadapted chemicals, crops are evidently damaged and captivated with extremely toxic pesticides and insecticides. Recently, GMO foods have severely

In the past 15 to 20 years, eating locally grown, organic, and non-genetically modified (GMO) foods has become a major movement in the United States. While some have embraced the local farmer’s markets and imperfect fruits and vegetables, others have written it off as a pointless movement that fixes very little. Author Robert Paarlberg sides with the latter, and his essay Attention Whole Foods Shoppers is critical of the organic food movement and contends that world hunger should be the focus of the West and the food industry. Attention Whole Foods Shoppers by Robert Paarlberg has some positive aspects but ultimately fails to present readers with a detailed solution to the world hunger epidemic.

Rebecca Saxe’s Do the Right Thing: Cognitive Science’s Search for a Common Morality analyzes multiple research studies performed on the ethical ideas of morality. Saxe uses three current studies to validate her argument, including a Harvard internet study, research on the cognitive activity in the brains of an infant, and analysis of brain imaging using an fMRI. She uses logos and ethos in this essay to support her argument that scientific research will never fully explain the process that a human takes to make a sound, moral judgement, despite all of the innovative studies being performed. Saxe begins her argument by presenting a scenario that helps the reader to further understand the topic being discussed: moral dilemmas. The scenario includes

In our daily life we hope that there is an innermost balance of morality, evidently determining how we act and react to various situations. However, it is not always clear what that reasoning is, if the sense of morality in each of us is actually a social inventive to do the right

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

Food quality has emerged over the past decade as a top concern for consumers leaving many large food brands struggling to adapt. Growing concern over the rate of obesity, genetically modified organisms (GMO), and overuse of antibiotic are the most significant drivers leading consumers to purchase healthier food. New companies are successfully targeting this demographic using terms such as “Non GMO”, “Gluten – Free”, and “Organic.” Meanwhile revenue continues to decline for legacy food companies including, General Mills, Kellogg Co, and Kraft Foods Inc. struggle to adapt to changing consumer preferences. Large traditional food companies are seeking to counter these trends by acquiring existing health food companies, developing new products,

Americans are showing a greater interest in living healthier lifestyles; eating cleaner has become a growing part of our culture. As this culture grows, so too does the need for businesses that supply ingredients to support the trend (Essen & Englander, 2013). In recent studies, it has been found that genetically modified foods are not as preferred as the more natural versions from before mankind endeavored to make structural changes to raw products (Bawa & Anilakumar, 2012). One of the most difficult aspects of changing one’s lifestyle to eliminate GMOs is finding said foods in a natural state. This speaks to a need for supplying

Most food found in the grocery store is highly processed. Not just the ramen noodles or fruit loops, but the actual produce. Corporations use hormones, pesticides and antibiotics and genetic modification, which refer to

Imagine a typical scene at a grocery store where someone is looking for any common product- like a soybean, for example. In the vegetable section, there are plenty of soybeans to be found. The consumer may think that these vegetables look like the paragon of fresh produce, however the means by which these products have been produces is left unknown to the customer. For the purposes of this paper, genetically modified organisms can be defined as “plants or animals whose cells have been inserted with a gene from an unrelated species in order to take on specific characteristics” (Lee 2014). Currently, over 70 percent of packaged food at grocery stores has been genetically modified in some way. (Proof) Where are you getting this info from?

Although organic foods are found in nearly every grocery store, the average person is unable to differentiate between organic and non-organic food products. Many consumers purchase organic products in the hopes of gaining positive health benefits. (Chhabra, Kolli, et al “Organically Grown Food Provides”) “The current demand for organic foods outstrips the domestic supply, causing retailers in the United States to import $2 billion worth of organic foods annually.” (Crandall, Seideman, et al. ”Organic poultry: Consumer perceptions”) In this paper, I want to define what it means for food to be organically produced, while also exploring the requirements necessary to deem a product ‘Organic”.