Label or not, the GMO dilemma We have been participating in a mass scale biotech agricultural experiment for over twenty years. Since the mid-1990s the U.S population has been consuming Genetically Engineered (GE) foods or foods that contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) without having done enough research to assess its long time effects on humans. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agency responsible for protecting the public’s health and safety, “genetic engineering is the name given to certain methods that scientists use to introduce new traits or characteristics to organisms.” In other words, scientists modify the structure of plants or animals by removing some of their DNA material; or by inserting that …show more content…
My own view is that whether or not GMOs are bad for human health, they should still be labeled. To this date, GMOs Mandatory labeling remains optional which has led to deceptive advertising. This kind of deception prevents consumer from knowing the exact ingredients of their foods, prevents scientists from identifying the effects of the consumption of GMOs and causes consumer’s mistrust of the Food and Drug Administration agency. In other words, Optional labeling of GMOs allows deceptive marketing, prevents people from recognizing GMOs side Effects, and causes mistrust towards the FDA. Optional labeling of foods containing GMOs allows their marketers to engage in misleading food advertising. Buyers frequently rely on labels to get a full description of their foods. Leaving out the fact that a product contains GMOs is misleading. It is almost the same as avoiding to mention a specific ingredient in a food. For instance, many foods sold as “all natural” have great amounts of GMOs in them. Consumers have no way of knowing this, because GMOs are not labeled on the package. Many people assume that foods labeled as “all natural” are minimally processed, unmodified and contain no modified organisms. In other words, when buyers read the “all natural” statement on a label, they usually consider that natural indicates straight from mother earth. However, GMOs are not
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.
“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
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
Biotechnology has been lauded as the future of agriculture. However, the business leaders and scientists involved in biotech did not predict how controversial genetically modified foods would be. Despite all the promises and merits proclaimed by research by different biotech companies and the governments like reduced pesticide usage, higher crop yields, the controversy surrounding its application to food production persists in many nations. One of the key issues that have surrounded the GM debate is the labeling of GM products. While some countries require the labeling of such products, others do not. This paper examines how labeling of genetically modified foods affects consumer willingness to purchase such products. By reviewing past
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
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
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
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.
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.
From a ‘preservative-free’ foot long ear of corn to an ‘all-natural’ refrigerator-sized cow, a lot of foods in our grocery stores are GMOs. GMOs are foods that humans have genetically altered to benefit consumers, but as this new technology is arising, more and more questions about whether it’s actually helpful have surfaced. GMOs should be labeled better because more and more people want to know what is in the food they’re buying, and because companies are deceiving the public with indirect labeling.
Many people are unaware that there have not been sufficient tests conducted that prove GMOs are entirely safe. Therefore, people ought to consider the potential health risks they are taking when consuming a GM food product. However, since most biotech companies such as Monsanto, Cargill, Dow, Bayer and others do not advertise that their food products contain GMOs, consumers are not aware that most of the foods they purchase have been genetically modified. It is obvious to suspect that these companies are benefiting from the public’s lack of knowledge. Consumers need to be made aware when they are purchasing genetically modified products. Genetically modified organisms can potentially cause harm to our environment and have a detrimental effect on human health.
Writer, Michael specter who has been awarded the Global Health Council's annual Excellence award twice spend his time writing about developing issues such as agricultural biotechnology, before he served as the national science reporter. Specter claims that there is no need for GMO labels and it does not make “scientific sense”(Specter. Par. 6) to include them on food products. Specter main concern is just because food companies are adding GMO labels to the product does not give the consumer enough information about what the actual ingredients are. “They would tell you how your food is put together, but not what it contains. How could that help anyone make a sound decision about his health”(Specter. Par. 6)? The public is getting more curious