Why Do Food Companies Use Genetically Modified Foods Ethical?

When I think of all-natural foods, my mind is filled with thoughts of free range chicken, organic vegetables, and farm fresh eggs.  I envision the farmer, tending his crops; the baker selling his goods.   One thing that does not come to mind is Genetically Modified Organisms.  Everywhere we turn, GMOs are popping up at an alarming rate.  The scary thing is that many people are not even aware they are consuming these products.  As of now, companies who manufacture GMOs are not required to label their products as such.  These foods that are consumed by millions of people every day are still permitted to be labeled as "all natural." Producers of genetically-modified organisms should be required to

“By 1999, to avoid labels that might drive customers away, most major European retailers had removed genetically modified ingredients from products bearing their brand.” (Chayka 1). Today most people seem to be more concerned about what is in their food. The author shows his concerns about GMOs and uses statistics to help his argument. All of the author’s reasoning makes me concerned and worried about our food and the safety of everyone else. People’s health is important for this world to survive and live a healthy lifestyle. GMO labels should be honest about their food no matter what issue they may face. People trust these brands and most likely stick with it for most of their lives. The important part of food companies is being honest with their ingredients, not interfering or harming other food companies, and ensuring the safety of its consumers.

A GMO is a genetically modified organism that goes through the process of genetic engineering. This is when genes of one organism are extracted, altered, and then artificially placed into another organism to then grow. We typically see GMOs in the food we consume every day. These foods include fruits and vegetables, however the most common organisms that are genetically engineered include, corn, soy, and cotton. It is ultimately the unnatural cross breeding of plants, animals, bacteria, and virus genes (Non-GMO Project). But now why is there a debate for placing a label to notify consumers of GMOs in their foods? Do we know the potential harm that GMOs can cause? We have the right to know what we are putting into our bodies and what is found in our everyday foods.

The Federal Government should require labeling of GMO’s on genetically modified foods. The people deserve to know what they put in their bodies. Some of the food is very unhealthy and some people are completely unaware of that fact. Many food companies do not put out all the information about what goes into the food in which we consume, if the Federal government were to require labeling of all GMO foods then the people could be well educated about what they put inside their bodies, and know if it is good for them or not. GMO stands for genetically modified foods, a genetically modified food is “..an organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found

About eighty percent of packaged food is infiltrated with harmful substances that is being sold to many people and they do not know what they are even consuming and the detrimental effects it has on them. This is known as a Genetically Modified Organism or a GMO. Genetically Modified Organisms are being sold without it being labeled, so people are not completely informed when purchasing or consuming them. GMOs also have unknown effects and causes that come with it. To protect people from GMOs, the US should ban Genetically Modified foods from being produced and grown in America. Another way to help protect people from eating GMOs is to make all foods sold natural and fresh.

1) What are the ethical issues in this case? There are a few ethical issues in this case, making genetically engineered food and distributing to the public without the publics knowledge is unethical. Another ethical issue is not knowing what side affects of the engineered food will do to humans in the long term. It is still not determined whether or not some of these GM foods will cause health problems in humans in the long run and should be tested like new drug have to be tested. It seems to me that the government is not as strict on GM foods like they are on new drugs being tested.

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

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

The FDA does not require companies in the food industry to provide any labeling for their product if it contains GMOs. Many of the scientists that support genetic engineering claim that GM foods are safe for human consumption. But the practice of genetically engineering an organism in a lab to possess certain qualities is far from natural. There are several reasons that scientists are working to genetically engineer many plant and animal species. Scientists claim that they are genetically engineering many animals so that they have pharmacological qualities that may benefit human health. (Food-borne illnesses) There is a risk of transferring a disease from animals to humans. Much like the problems with using antibiotics in animals, engineering an animal to be resistant to certain viruses could result in super bugs or more antibiotic resistant viruses. Some animals are being genetically engineered so that they are better for marketing. Chickens, for example, are being engineered to grow larger breast. Cattle are being modified so that they grow faster and are even engineered so that they produce less pollution; supposedly a plus for the environment. Certain species of fish, such as salmon, are being engineered so that they produce more of the healthy fat, omega-3. This may seem innocuous enough, but these animals are being genetically engineered in ways that would primarily benefit the farmers and

Do you find the labels on your favorite snacks to be helpful to most consumers? Many would answer this question yes, and argue that labels contain important information that all buyers should know for health or safety reasons. While this is true, this argument should not apply to GMO labeling. GMOs, of genetically modified organisms, are foods with altered genes from biotechnological techniques. They are used to help foods to be preserved, or prevent certain pests from eating or infecting them, or even to have other desired and beneficial traits. While many may disagree, including use of these GMOs on food labels is completely ineffective. They make GMOs appear to be foreign and dangerous. There are already organic foods for those who are suspicious of genetically altered foods that cause harm. These labels would also make buyers spend more money down the road. A bill to label GMOs would cause multiple issues for producers and buyers everywhere.

Just like every other issue, there is more than one side to this one as well. Many people like the idea of labeling food packages. The Washington House of Representatives voted to pass a bill in April 2015 which does not make labeling GMO, or genetically modified organisms, products mandatory, according to CBS News and naturally many people were upset by this decision (House votes to block mandatory GMO labeling). Vermont 's democratic representative Peter Welch asked "What 's the problem with letting consumers know what they are buying?" To answer his question, the problem here is that there is a

GMOs should be labelled when being sold. After reading up on the facts and understanding both sides of the argument, my opinion is that it is up to the consumers to determine how to feel. They can be in love with GMOs or can absolutely despise them. The consumers can make that decision for themselves. I think GMOs should be labelled to give those consumers a choice. If they are not labelled, people won’t know what they are buying. It might be okay for those that do not think GMOs are inferior to organic plants. It will only affect the people that dislike them. A lack of labels results in a lack of choice, and therefore makes the decision for the consumer. No matter how healthy or great for the environment GMOs are, people should still be given a choice on whether or not to buy them. If a person is opposed to GM foods and only buys organic and traditionally bred foods, they should know if they are about to buy a GM product. A label will not harm the product in any way, shape, or form. If anything, it will be beneficial to the people who are buying them. The main reason companies don’t want to label their GMO products is because “Companies selling GMOs don't want their products labeled for fear of stigmatizing their products and losing customers.” Those thoughts should be put aside in favor of the

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

Foremost in the arguments concerning GM foods are the practices and standards of labeling. Currently sixty four countries require mandatory labeling of these products. The United States is not one of these countries that require mandatory labeling. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is currently using a very lenient standard for informing consumers according to

The leaders of the United States of America need to recognize and take action on the concern of the public, regarding GMO food. People have a deep concern for GMO food. They have a right to be concerned about something that is potentially harmful to the population of the United States of America. They are concerned for the safety of GMO food. They are also concerned about the loss of money that can happen, when investing in GMO food. There are many concerns for GMO food. However, the only way to prove this statement, is to successfully refute the opposing viewpoints other people may have, regarding GMO food.