Should Labeling be Required for GMOs? Essays

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 is a battle raging across the United States between consumers who purchase genetically modified foods and the companies that processes these foods through genetic modification. Consumers are demanding that all genetically modified foods are labeled so that they will have information about what ingredients are in these foods. The companies who sell genetically modified foods do not want to label them and are making claims that labeling these foods would raise food prices, hurt farmers, and cause genetically modified foods to gain the reputation of being harmful to humans. Consumers should ignore the claims by companies responsible for producing genetically modified foods and be unrelenting in their insistence that all genetically

Whether or not to require labeling of GM foods is a major issue in the persistent debate over the risks and benefits of foods crops that are produced using biotechnology. Bills requiring compulsory labeling have been introduced and proposed in different levels, but not evenly implemented. Some of the common genetically engineered crops include soya beans, canola, corn and cotton. The US Food and Drug Administration policy on the labeling of GM food requires labeling is the food has significantly distinct nutritional property (US FDA par 2). Further, labeling is required if the GM food product includes an allergen that consumers may not expect to find in such a product, or if the product contains a toxicant that is beyond acceptable limits (US FDA par 3).

We all enjoy a cold glass of milk with homemade cookies, a refreshing pop on a hot summer day, and a juicy cob of corn in the summer months. But, do we ever wonder what is really in our food? Because genetically modified foods do not have to be labeled, you will likely never know if the food you are consuming is genetically modified. As a fellow member of the Organic Consumers Association, I am eager to inform you of why genetically modified food is an issue that we must work to minimize or perhaps even abolish. I am excited to present this information to you, hopefully expanding your knowledge of genetically modified food. I hope that this conference will allow us to broaden our ideas of how

Background: Genetically modified foods are products that we designed to be more efficient and nutritious. The labeling issue has been heatedly debated since GMOs were introduced to the public 20 years ago. According to the Thomson Reuter Pulse Healthcare Survey, 93% of Americans demand mandatory labeling for GM foods. (Just Label It, 2010)

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of genetic modification in foods grown for human consumption. Many opponents suggest that genetically modified (GM) foods can affect human growth and development, increase allergic reactions in persons with allergy sensitivity or cause allergies to develop in healthy people. Proponents of using genetically modified organisms to alter and improve foods claim that there are no health risks to humans and that GM foods are subjected to stricter guidelines and testing than “naturally” grown food. They also claim that genetic modification of food is necessary to produce more drought tolerant, insect and disease resistant crops that can sustain the earth’s growing human population. A recent survey conducted suggests that public opinion is evenly divided on whether or not GMOs should be used in foods for human consumption. This paper looks to discuss the pros and cons of GMOs in food and the reported effects, if any, on human growth and development.

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

It’s been debated many times about GMO’s negative impact on the environment. The introduction of GMO’s has been exposed to many ecosystems throughout world, bringing a wide concern towards the impact of it. “GM crops are commercially available and planted on more than 40 million hectares across six continents” (FAO). “Activists, worried about GMOs being released into the biosphere, have destroyed test plots in at least four continents. (FAO). Another big concern about GMO’s negative impact upon the environment is that the pollen from GM crops, and trees can contaminate nearby crops and wild plants. Varieties of corn in Mexico have been found to have some contamination with in it, along with many others. This can cause many major changes to varieties types of crops out there, not just corn itself. It alters the DNA within the crop causing them to grow differently.

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.

Dr. Praphul Joshi 10/23/2013 Controversial Public Health Issue There are several controversial issues confronting us today; from Universal Healthcare (Obama Care) to Stem Cell research, to vaccinations, to genetically engineered (GE)/genetically modified (GM) foods. However, I shall look at genetically modified foods as the controversial issue for this article. I shall look at an article from the mass media about this controversial public health issue and place emphasis on the message the document wants to convey and address any biases that may be within. In addition, I shall provide additional data or facts from another article to see if it supports or refutes the controversial message. It is my intention that this article will provide some clarity on genetically modified foods confronting us in the United States and the world over. Since the successful cloning of Dolly, the sheep, in July 5, 1996, Biotechnology has been praised and castigated at the same time.

It was decided almost 20 years about by the Food and Drug Administration that GMOs do not need to be labeled, despite the consumers’ desire for GMO labeling. Consumers’ demanding to know what is in their food has lead to the proposed legislation of GMO labeling from more than twenty states. Health safety is a large part of the proponents’ argument for GMO labeling (Murray 2016). The consumers right to know, right to choose, and ethical rights are also all reasons for GMO labeling policy. The oppositions’ arguments against mandatory GMO labeling are that it could falsely alarm consumers, impose extra costs on consumers and lead to restricts on consumer choice (Hemphill 2015). There would be more harm than good to come from

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), also known as genetically modified or engineered foods, are created by forcing a piece of DNA from a totally different species, such as bacteria or viruses, into the DNA of a plant or animal. There are no long-term studies demonstrating that GMOs are safe for humans and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not do its own safety testing. Since most people like to know what they are eating, the question is: “Should GMO products be labeled”?

The labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is an extremely delicate issue. The way the law deals with this heated argument is extremely important for future research and public acceptance. I will argue that the benefits of the biotechnology that deals with GMOs outweigh the risks, and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should continue to regulate GMOs under the current system which does not require special labeling if the food is “substantially equivalent.”(FDA)

These genetically enhanced foods are still a relatively new technology and there has not been enough thorough testing done to determine unequivocally whether or not these products are safe for human consumption or for the environment .(1) There have been

First, well-known companies should not escalate people’s fear about genetically modified foods because by genetically engineering crops, those crops are now able to repel pests and diseases. To start, genetically modified organisms are “organisms whose genetic make-ups have been changed by mutating, inserting, or deleting genes, by using genetic engineering techniques or biotechnology” (Goldbas 20). Knowing this fact helps prove that “over the last twenty years, scientists and breeders have used [genetic