Gmo Labeling Essay

In 2015, Tim Anderson, a PhD researcher, wrote “GMO Foods are Unsafe”, an article which perhaps sheds light on the mishandling of genetically modified foods, including the lack of testing of said food products, as well as the potential hazards posed to humans and the environment. In the same year, Genetic Literacy Project’s web editor, JoAnna Wendel, wrote a contrasting article “Genetically Modified Foods Have Been Studied and Found Safe to Eat”, and voices her disgust over the false information that constantly belittle GMOs. She believes the allegation that little evaluation has been accomplished to monitor and ensure the safety of these genetic modifications is based on frantic opinions and not accurate facts. Although their positions appear to utterly oppose one

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.

Have you ever heard what a GMO is? A GMO is a genetically modified organism, such of which is not labeled on items. Should GMOs be labeled? Some experts say that it should. They say that consumers buy products from companies, of which they trust to list the ingredients. However, most consumers are not informed of what GMO products are in their meals, or even what GMOs are.

Don’t you just love the smell of bread and butter and the delicious taste of brownies and muffins? Well, now more than 18 million Americans no longer can enjoy the great taste of these gluten foods, thanks to GMOs. GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are the result of a laboratory process where genes are taken from one species and inserted into another in an attempt to obtain a wanted characteristic, however, no one knows the long-term effect of GMOs. Genetically engineered foods are linked to gluten disorders and are known to cause birth defects. So why do people keep eating them? Consumers still inadvertently eat these foods, because there is no warning label to educate them otherwise. Foods with GMO genes need to be labeled so that people won’t unknowingly consume these genetically modified ingredients without their consent.

The new GMO Labeling bill S. 764, that was passed July 2016 after being tacked onto the National Sea Grant College Program Act, requires companies to disclose their inclusion of GMOs in their products directly on the label. This legislation panders to consumers that are already against GMOs while creating more economic strain on consumers who cannot choose to eat non-GMO due to budgetary restrictions. This bill will have serious implications not only in our economy and agricultural industry, but many economies and agricultural industries worldwide. Recent studies of how extensive the effect of this bill will be on the consumers of the United States are estimating upwards of $1,050 annual increase in our grocery spending to accommodate. The damage occurs when food producers that use GMOs inevitably follow the trend of agricultural industries before them and switch to non-GMO ingredients if they believe that it could potentially save public relations and customer loyalty. These switches have grievous implications, including triggering a setback on technology currently being developed and technology that could be developed in the future. 70% of products consumed in the U.S. have genetically engineered materials in them. These labeling laws do not just affect some consumers. In fact, those who are advocating strongly for this labeling system are likely not going to be impacted to the same degree as lower income Americans. This is due to lower income Americans not having the

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

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

Importantly, there is a current controversy concerning whether genetically modified foods should be labeled as such or if it is an unnecessary extra expense. Indeed, some individuals believe that if a product is genetically modified then it is potentially dangerous to a consumer’s health causing birth defects, increased risk of cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease (Greenpeace, n.d.). Therefore, based upon this predisposition they believe that a label should be placed on every product that is genetically modified, since it is the consumers right to know if a product has been exposed to harmful chemicals and pesticides. Contrariwise, others believe that labeling genetically modified foods is not needed, since there is presently no viable

It is imperative that GMOs gain more popularity, and fast, before more consumers view them as “unsafe” and boycott them. In the future, GMOs will be a much needed “solution to feeding the world's population, which is expected to skyrocket from 7 billion today to 10 billion by 2050” (Potenza, par. 5). In order for the public to establish the idea that GMOs are safe, the government will provide funds to pay for a series of initiatives to educate the public on the safety of GMOs. This would include a unit about genetically modified organisms in schools, scientist endorsements, and posters and pamphlets in grocery stores.

Should genetically modified foods be labeled? Some think GMOs are completely safe and labeling the food would prove unnecessary and will make food increase in price, while others believe we have a right to know everything in the food the population consume. Nearly all processed food sold in the United States were genetically modified in a lab. GMOs are often used to achieve a certain trait, such as drought tolerance, enhanced nutritional content, insect resistance, and reduced food waste. More than 15 countries have stated labeling genetically modified foods, starting with the Europe Union in 1997. While GMOs can be used for positive reasons, but can have a negative effect (list negative effects of GMOs). This paper will explain side with

Hence, even though American markets are full of foods containing GM ingredients, the use of labels will create a cleaner, safer, and healthier food industry that appeals to the public interest. While consumers’ ignorance to the production of their foods creates safety issues, these risks can be alleviated by implementing a mandate that will require labels on foods that have been genetically modified. Moreover, it is essential that American citizens begin to tackle the issue of labeling GMOs by spreading the word and raising awareness so that people are more equipped to deal with the problem; in addition, citizens must press the producers of natural foods to label their products as a “non-GMO” and press the government to create a federal, or

Genetic modification is the alteration of an organism's genes to acquire desired characteristics (Kracht para 1). Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are in over 70% of products produced in the United States, especially since most contain traces of corn, soybean, rice or canola, which are some of the grown genetically modified crops. (Steinhauer and Strom para 20). Currently, companies are not required to label GMO-containing products, however, some people are pushing to make it a requirement (para 3). Products containing GMOs should not be labeled because products manufactured in the United States have been modified in one way or another, therefore, the FDA should not

“A German company modified the genetics of a bacterium so it could efficiently ferment plant waste, turning the material into ethanol. There was, the story goes, just one problem: the bacteria, Klebsiella planticola, “almost killed the world with booze,””. (Porterfield) A GMO is a genetically modified organism that has had its DNA modified by genetic engineering and are sometimes called “transgenic organisms”. (Lallanilla) GMOs are destroying life by posing higher risks to children’s health, danger to the environment and the uprising of viruses.

When GMOs first became “a thing” in 1996, the United States immediately began planting them in many rapidly increasing areas. (Lucht, 2015, p.4257) These plants were mostly insect and herbicide-resistant. The US was not alone in its support for GMOs seeing as Argentina, India, China and Canada all began planting GMOs as well. (Lucht, 2015, p.4257) No one seemed to see anything wrong with this movement until the first US shipments of GM soy arrived in Europe and protests breached. In contrast to many other countries, the European Union is against GM foods. Some EU countries (Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia) grow GM maize and have actually publicized that it has benefitted them and their economies. (Lucht, 2015, p.4256) When consumers were asked in Europe if GM food should be supported, more than half disagreed. If anything in Europe is genetically modified it must state that it is on the label. (Twardowski, 2015) This runs true even if the product is physically and chemically the same as the untouched product. Because of this skepticism shown in Europe about whether or not GMOs could be trusted, suspicions in the US arose as well. Consumers began to make the argument that if we weren’t told what we are eating was being genetically modified, are we really aware of what we are eating? (Bunge, 2016) Many consumers believed that their values and beliefs were being mocked.