...AgBioForum – Volume 3, Number 1 – 2000 – Pages 53-57 LABELING POLICY FOR GMOS: TO EACH HIS OWN?1 Julie A. Caswell1 GMO labeling policy for foods is under intense development. Countries are choosing mandatory labeling or adherence to voluntary labeling. Challenges to mandatory labeling are unlikely to be successful under current World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Marketers and trade negotiators should recognize this and move toward living with diversity in labeling policy. Keywords: GMOs; biotechnology; labeling policy; trade disputes. We are at another important crossroads on the path that will determine the market acceptance of foods produced with the use of biotechnology. Individual governments are managing a range of policies that affect biotechnology, including those on research and development, intellectual property rights, regulatory approval (safety assessment), and labeling requirements. They are taking divergent policy paths that make for market uncertainty. At the same time, companies are announcing their intentions regarding the use or non-use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their products. These intentions make the market less uncertain for sales to those companies but raise the stakes in predicting the choices of other companies. Labeling policy for food products is currently under intense development in several countries. What are the basic requirements for such labeling programs and what policies are countries adopting? What ...
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...have intrigued consumers to wonder how safe are GMOs , since the processors are controlling the food system with political and economic factors. They have revolutionized the way consumers eat, but have developed controversy over what should be required labeled. As a distrusted consumer, I know food labeling comes with pros and cons but I have the right to know what I am eating and its safety. In America instead of voluntary labeling, it should be mandatory because it provides consumer choice, the public interest, and caution for potential health issues. These companies are controlling life by using chemical substances that may be a potential harm to consumers. A genetically modified organism contains many bioengineered ingredients and their DNA composition is altered in...
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...The Real Deal on GM Food Labeling The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began food labeling in the United States in 1938. It was an initial effort to protect public health through the transparency in food ingredients and their nutritional value. Today, with the emergence of genetically modified organisms (GMO) as food, another issue regarding labeling to champion consumer choice between GM and non-GM foods has been raised. But experiences of countries that adopted mandatory GMO labeling proved that it doesn’t provide the consumer with a wider array of choice. This brings us to the more compelling issues on nutrition and food safety that will affect the research and commercialization of other GM foods in the future. Countries in the European Union (EU), Japan, Australia and New Zealand have adapted mandatory GMO labeling. But after the 90’s GM products seemed to have vanished in the EU. It was also difficult to find GMO labeling in products in Japan while in Australia and New Zealand, there is not much choice at the retail level. What happened is that producers changed the formulation of their products in order to avoid GM foods thus, labeling provides processors’ choice— not necessarily consumer choice. Also, under mandatory labeling, the costs of segregation and testing will be paid partly by taxpayers and partly by GM producers and so, experimental studies have shown that consumers perceive GM labels as a negative signal, and therefore there will be...
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...The Non GMO Project is a stakeholder in support of labeling GMOs. The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building the non-GMO food supply, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices. They are known for their butterfly Non-GMO Project verification seal which indicates that the product bearing the seal has gone through their verification process. The seal was created in the absence of mandatory GMO labeling. The verification is “an assurance that a product has been produced according to consensus-based best practices for GMO avoidance” (GMO Facts). The Non-GMO Project argues there is a growing body of evidence connecting GMOs to health problems, environmental damage, and violation of farmers’...
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...in our foods today. The debate over Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are starting to become more of a hot topic and is now not a secret that GMO-ed foods have spread out rapidly to the whole world. Government officials should take the proper steps to ensure our countries safety and not allow GMO’s in our foods today, and if it is needed, labeling should be mandatory. Even though it is banned in other countries, our government is still allowing the United Stated to continue with GMO cropping and without labeling it. We should know why it is harmful to our health and how we can prevent it. GMOs could cause health issues, create allergies, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems. First, GMOs are harmful to our health. Second, these crops can lead to contaminated organic crops, and serious destruction of the environment, which could also lead to toxins and allergens surrounding us. Third, there are some companies that intend to monopolize market-foods, which work with GMOs. Finally, labeling should be a very important factor in the GMO industry, to ensure people would recognize how dangerous GMO’s are for us. GMOs are special organisms in which the genetic material has been altered for improvement productivity and product quality. First, Research and studies show that GMOs could be very harmful. Through manipulating our crops our health is at a serious risk. “Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or...
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...2015 How Are GMOs Affecting the Environment and Our Health? Food has been one of the basic needs since the birth of a person. History shows that the production of food only consisted of hunting, harvesting, and farming. During these times, it usually took a long time before these foods arrived at the dining tables of families. However, today, technology has allowed the mass production of food. Unfortunately, the market has taken advantage of technology, not letting us know how food is made, leading to the birth of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMOs are widely used in most foods today. Though most people are unaware of this, GMOs even exist in some of their favorite food products. Many reports tell that diseases, such as E-Coli and Salmonella, have been caught from GM-foods. Furthermore, researchers and doctors believe that GMOs carry a huge risk; although, some scientists claim that GMOs are completely safe for human consumption. GMOs should be banned because they have a negative impact on human health, and potential risks on the environment. Although GMOs were only introduced in 1996, the side effects can already be seen: there have been increased allergic reactions, antibiotic resistant bacteria and other toxic hazards. While these side effects of GMOs may seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, the lasting effects can be much more drastic. More and more children are having life-threatening allergies, which can be contributed to increased GMO intake. Children...
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...marketing Since genetically modified (GM) food has entered the global food market in early mid 1990s and corn, rice, canola oil and soybeans become among the first FDA-approved Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), large companies such as Monsanto, Nestle and PepsiCo experienced cost benefits with these new ingredients and the trend has quickly spread to other sects of the food industry. Genetically modified food can be defined as organisms in which genetic material has been altered by recombinant DNA technology. It sparks controversy among agricultural sectors. Some may advocate that such biotechnology generates a set of potential benefits to producers or consumers with cheaper production costs and food attribute enhancements while others may dispute the possible costs of unintended allergic responses, long-term health and environmental effects, ethical or moral issues. Consumers’ perceptions of these potential benefits and costs shape market responses to the new technologies and eventually determine how widely the technology is adopted. This essay will discuss the issues around genetic modification of food and the impact of them on how food is marketed globally. Table 1 below shows the PESTLE analysis to examine the external environment for GM food. Politically, GMOs regulations differ in countries, with marked differences between US and EU. Many GM plants including varieties of soya bean, cotton, maize and rice not authorised for use in the EU, have been approved for growing...
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...low quality products and strategically place their business near and/ or in low income neighborhoods marketing dollar menu items and combined deal offers to sell genetically modified poisonous by products. These large manufacturers pay close to nothing to make the chemically induced and genetically altered animals to make these products faster to sell more and spend less out of pocket. The harmful chemicals used to create these animals have been a topic of discussion for years. Recently, a laws passed the Food safety Modernization Act, supposedly, put into place to protect the consumers from exposure to harmful poison. The new law prevents states from requiring package labels to indicate the presence of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs,...
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...variable. There is no consensus about the likely effects of the Genetically Modified foods/organisms (GMOs), but the fact remains that their effects on health are risky and highly unpredictable especially with the globalization tendency. The purpose of this study is to examine how the GMOs risks to public health can be reduced by policymakers enhancing public confidence in the GM foods. The Precaution Adoption Model (PAPM) has been selected to tackle this health problem. This model has been described and evaluation strategies analyzed on the basis of which success can be determined. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION Human health is determined by both natural and artificial factors, amongst which what people consume is a critical variable. The proliferation of genetically modified (GM) food in the marketplace has resulted in heated public debate, scientific discussion and media coverage about their safety. Formerly, the use of selective breeding was commonplace but this was a sluggish and unreliable Public Administration & Management Volume 13, Number 3, 191-217 192 method. Genetic engineering now allows scientists to insert specific genes into a plant or an animal without having to go through the trail and error process of selective breeding (Hoswtuffworks, 2004). Scientist first discovered the technique of genetic modification in the 1970s (Mitchell and Lee, 1998). GMOs were first introduced for commercial production in 1996 and since then their use has increased rapidly...
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...GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS _____________________ A Position Paper Presented to Mr. Jesse R. Songcayawon, Ph. D. History Department Adventist University of the Philippines _____________________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course General Philosophy _____________________ By Krishnalyn Precious Jewel Castro Rosedelle Colot Jedd Fabroa Dean Carlo Fajilan Joan Mary Hidalgo Julius Anthony Hiphip Myrtle Magalang Mark Anthony Mayorga Ruiz, Mike I. INTRODUCTION A. BACKGROUND As the population of the world continues to increase, it will be accompanied by an increase in the demand for food. Food is one of the most vital needs of the world we live in. In the old days, ancient people kill for food to survive. Today, some people mark it as piece of extravagance and whatnots. Food feeds our hunger and in turn, gives energy for the daily activities we humans need to do in order to get through the day. Also, it forms connection within another human being for it is shared along the dinner table and have food as the topic of the night. Basically, food is the demand and supply which runs the world: be it in the developed country where food is made even luxury and be it in the developing country where food is seen as a staple for survival. Since the total acreage planted is no longer increasing, unless new production technology is adopted, such an increase in demand that is unmatched by an increase in supply in the world food market will raise...
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...regarding being socially responsible. The company has an excellent record on being socially responsible. The company has several organizations and programs they contribute and donate to. The company meets its discretionary responsibilities by supporting same sex marriages, the growing peace-building movement, and supporting holding elected leaders more accountable to the people. They also support fair trade. This ensures small farmers in developing countries can compete and thrive in the global economy ("Ben & Jerry's", 2014). Ben & Jerry’s is also social responsible. They support mandatory genetically modified organisms (GMO) labeling legislation. GMOs are organisms that have been created using gene-splicing techniques, which allow DNA from one species to be injected into another species in a laboratory. Currently, people in the U.S. have no way of knowing which foods contain GMOs because companies aren’t required to disclose the information. Ben & Jerry’s is working on way to...
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...Genetically Modified Organisms Technology, Society, and Culture Table of Contents Technical Aspect of GMO by Chad Dookie Page 3 Moral and Ethical Aspect of GMO by Ronald Claude Page 7 Cultural and Legal Aspect of GMO by Evangelina Ramirez Page 14 Environmental Issues of GMO by Donovan Collins Page 23 References Page 32 Technical Aspect of GMO by Chad Dookie Description of GMOs and the associated science Most of the populations that do shopping in the groceries to buy food for their family are not aware of the “naturalness” of the food. Groceries sell items such as; cotton seeds, rice, soy, sugar beets, yeast, cassava, papaya, bananas, food flavoring, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, squash, oils, beef, pork, chicken, salmon, peas, alfalfa, and honey. Notice that most of the items listed either came from a plant or an animal. Those are the top 20 grocery items that have been genetically modified. What are genetically modified organisms? A genetically modified organism is any living thing that has had their DNA tampered with. This can be mutating, removing, or adding genetic material into the organism. All of the items listed in paragraph one has had their DNA tampered with. Most times when people talk about genetically modified organisms, they mostly refer to plants that are genetically modified. You may be wondering how the animals listed are considered genetically modified. This is because scientists modify the plants that are being...
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...some way, the pollution and global warming is somewhat a blessing in disguise. If the world today did not have so much issues with the environment, the use of human waste as energy would have not existed. Recently, Campbell Soup Company announced it will label all of its products in the United States that obtain ingredients from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It is the first major food company that will label products that have GMOs in response to a growing demand of food transparency about the contents of food. Unlike most of the food companies, Campbell Co. also supports a federal legislation that makes it mandatory to label non-GMO products and GMO products. Many activists have been pestering food companies to be more transparent about the use of their ingredients, more specifically one that are GMO derived, and raising concerns of both health and the environment. Many big food companies such as Kellogg Co. and PepsiCo Inc. have withstand the activists concerns and spent millions to beat GMO-labeling ballot measures. It is pleasing to see that Campbell has taken the activists device and will now put GMO and non-GMO labels on their products. People should be able to know what they are eating. Especially people who have food allergies. These labels are crucial for their health. Other companies such as PepsiCo Inc. and Kellogg Co. however also have the right to not put labels. By putting on labels, they will waste precious hours of producing their process and therefore lose...
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...recorded on a digital video recorder, brushing your teeth with a mechanical toothbrush, or using your GPS navigation system when going to your latest vacation destination. The latest technology has made it possible for people to communicate with others all over the world in both audio and video formats. Scientists are continuously looking for ways to make living easier and more productive. They are looking for solutions to world hunger, new medical advances to cure cancer and other diseases plaguing the world, and ways to make our society a healthier place to live. In this research paper, we will be discussing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and their contributions to these causes. We will be examining the history, political, moral, ethical, and many other ways that GMOs have influenced everyday living. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)...
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...initiative that I am going to be talking about is I-522, which would include, “Mandatory identification of foods produced with genetic engineering” (Pg 2 No.522). This initiative was filed on June 29, 2012 and according to Ballot Pedia this initiative it was referred by the citizens. According to these citizens since there is no federal or state law that requires food produce to identify whether foods were produced using genetic engineering, they feel that consumers have the right to know whether the foods they purchased were produced with genetic engineering. This initiative I-522 has a lot of support on getting this bill passed especially from State senators and representatives mainly from the Democratic party; it goes further though into Mayors of certain cities, former officials and big organizations. All these supporters have one thing in common which is, they believe that Washington shoppers should have more information about what’s in the food they eat and feed their families. Having to make stores do this would require labeling genetically engineered foods, which would give shoppers more control over their shopping decisions. Personally, I agree that it should be passed because it will be advancing the consumer’s knowledge, but it will advance the science field as well. It is my personal opinion that consumers have the basic right to know what they are buying and how it was made. Labeling GMO foods will play a big part in having an efficient marketplace and response to...
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