Genetically Modified Foods - Assignment Example

of the of the of the Genetically Modified Foods Labeling is an indispensable tool in taking informed decisions, while procuring Genetically Modified foods. It provides consumers with adequate knowledge regarding the food that they intend to consume. This variety of food is gaining worldwide recognition and its consumption has been on the increase. However, a worldwide movement has commenced against Genetically Modified food. Most of the people suspect that such foods could prove detrimental to human health. Proper and prolonged laboratory trials have not been undertaken; and the chief advocates of these foods are the companies that manufacture them. Labeling of Genetically Modified food products has currently been the subject matter of debates across the United States. Proponents of labeling argue that manufacturers must affix labels on their food products that provide information regarding the presence of genetically modified or genetically processed organisms. Opponents claim that labeling would lead to unfair practices, as it would serve to segregate genetically modified products and ordinary food products; which would lead to product discrimination. Supporters of labeling Genetically Modified food products claim that the consumer has a right to know about the nature of the food product. This right enables them to have specific knowledge of the product they are consuming. There were several campaigns for placing labels on genetically processed food products. However, the Food and Drug Administration had remained silent on this issue. This stance of the FDA had further invigorated the campaign for labeling genetically modified organisms in the United States (The Quest for Labeling GM Foods in the US). For instance, eleven percent of the total Canadian food comprises of Genetically Modified food; and nearly seventy – five percent of processed food that is available in the market is Genetically Modified food. The position obtaining in the American markets had not been estimated, with regard to the prevalence of Genetically Modified or GM foods. The American perception with regard to Genetically Modified foods is varied and most of the people are not in favor of consuming such food. The US market is flooded with Genetically Modified foods but the producers of such foods do not display any information regarding GM content on the food packets or tins. This clearly indicates the necessity of legislation that would compel manufacturers to use appropriate labels to indicate the presence of GM foods (Smyth and Phillips). The population of the world is increasing rapidly, but there is no corresponding increase in the availability and production of food. This situation makes it very difficult to provide food to the people. In order to address this problem effectively, scientists have invented genetic engineering of food grains. This genetically modified food would be the alternative for coping with the problems of food shortages. Genetically Modified foods provide various benefits; for example, the insertion of Bacillus thuringiensis genes into plants, effectively terminates insect larvae. This would bring about a drastic reduction in the use of pesticides, which cause significant harm to the health of the people who consume them (Chaudry). In the year 1999, forty percent of the corn, around fifty percent of the cotton crops and nearly fifty percent of the soybeans crops had been Genetically Modified in the United States. The current estimation is that such Genetically Modified food will constitute more than sixty percent of the available food in the US market (Ahmed). It is estimated that only fourteen percent of Americans in the United States know that Genetically Modified food constitutes nearly sixty percent of the food products available in the supermarkets. Twenty percents of Americans were aware of the fact that they had consumed Genetically Modified food products. With regard to product safety, nearly fifty percent of Americans believed that Genetically Modified foods could be consumed safely. A majority of the Americans were of the opinion that Genetically Modified foods would promote the quality of their life. Only thirty – five percent of Americans believed that such food products would reduce the quality of life. It is the demand of most of the US citizens that GM food products should have labels that provide information about the ingredients (Debate and Policies on Labeling GM Foods). A majority of the Americans insist that Genetically Modified food products should be labeled appropriately, and the majority of these people are willing to pay more for such duly labeled products. Similarly, most of the people require information about GM food products and would like to have information about them. An overwhelming majority of Americans are of the opinion that labeling GM food products, which are exported to other countries is necessary and that it is the duty of the manufacturers to do so. They insist that such information should be made available for oversees consumers, even if it reduces the number of consumers purchasing American products. These US citizens accepted the standards specified by the FDA and they trust those standards, but they are of the opinion that the standards maintained by the FDA are inadequate for protecting the people’s health (Labeling GM Foods). Several surveys had been conducted in this regard. The results of these surveys had established that a majority of the Americans wanted GM foods to be marked or labeled as Genetically Modified products. In a survey conducted by the ABC News, in July 2003, it was disclosed that nearly ninety – two percent of the participants wanted the government to make it mandatory for every food product, containing GM foods to affix appropriate labels that were to indicate the presence of such genetically modified or biologically engineered food (Labeling GM Foods). Harris Interactive conducted a poll in June 2000 with regard to GM products. This poll revealed that quite a few people wanted the government to make it mandatory for the producers of all packaged food products to provide information, regarding the ingredients in those products, by affixing suitable labels. However, thirteen percent of the participants held that such labeling was not of much importance. Despite these varied opinions, most people demanded the presence of labels on food products, regardless of whether these food products contained genetically modified ingredients or not. Consumers in the European Union and Japan are also insisting that the US producers should affix labels that provide information regarding genetically modified ingredients, on all their products. As such consumers have stressed the fact that they have a right to know the ingredients contained in packaged foods. They maintain that the effects on the general health by GM foods are uncertain, and that labeling would provide the information that would help them to decide whether to purchase that product. However, the producers and manufactures of the food products argue that such labeling would prove to be very expensive and that there was a risk that people would refuse to purchase such food products (Labeling GM Foods). The government of the United States had considered these demands as barriers, which would hinder international trade practices. As such it had deemed these to be unfair requirements. Most of the respondents to the survey had disagreed with this contention and hailed the concept of labeling Genetically Modified food products. The existing legal provisions make labeling mandatory for manufacturers of genetically processed food, only when such food products pose a serious threat to the health of their consumers. Moreover, manufacturers are under an obligation to label their products, if there is a change or modification in the nutritional value of these products. However, the participants in the survey had expressed the view that the extant legislation was to be amended, so as to make it compulsory for manufacturers and producers to label Genetically Modified food products or the products that contain genetically engineered ingredients. Some respondents held that the present regulations were adequate with regard to labeling, whereas the majority had opined that all genetically modified food products and food products that contain genetically modified ingredients were to be labeled (Labeling GM Foods). The Food and Drug Administration imposes a duty on manufacturers to specially label food products that had been processed under certain conditions. These conditions include addition of an allergen in food products through biotechnical processes; any change in the nutritional value of the products; inclusion of vitamin or fat contents in the product; and any change or modification in the composition of the product. The government had directed that only under such conditions manufacturers were required to apply special label on their products. Under normal conditions, it was held that there was no need for labeling food products (Labeling GM Foods). According to Stephanie Childs, Grocery Manufacturers of America, nearly seventy five percent of the processed foods available in the market such as boxed cereals, grain products, frozen foods, oils used for cooking and other items contain genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified food products are generally referred to as Frankenfoods in the US. Although there have been several contraindications in using GM foods, there has not been even a single incident of health hazard, from people who consumed such bio – engineered food products. Opponents to GM foods claim that in the absence of a specified system of reporting health issues, like allergies and reactions, consequent to consuming of genetically modified food products cannot be reported by the people. Almost every product made of corn or soy, and products containing canola or cottonseed oil contain genetically modified ingredients (Genetically Modified Food Items Are Common, but Little Noticed. D.4). Fifty percent of respondents interviewed in the Rutgers survey had stated that they had considerable knowledge about genetically modified food products. More than fifty percent of the respondents consider chicken sold in the supermarkets as being genetically modified chicken. In fact, non – processed meat, poultry products, fish and dairy products, fruits and vegetables are not biologically or genetically modified food products. In the year 1994, for the first time, genetically modified food products were introduced in the supermarkets. The first GM product was the Flavr Savr brand tomatoes, which were genetically engineered in order to provide longer shelf live and better flavor. However that brand of tomatoes proved to be a failure due to its unsatisfactory taste; and by the year 1997 these Flavr Savr tomatoes disappeared from market (Genetically Modified Food Items Are Common, but Little Noticed. D.4). Growing of biotechnology corn and soy beans increased by the year 1995, with millions of farmers growing such produce in millions of acres, in several nations. In biotechnological crops the genes are transferred from another plant or from an animal into the target plant. Gene – transplantation is the usual technique employed in the genetic modification of crop plants. The main objectives behind such gene transplantations are to increase the production and to destroy insects and disease causing viruses. These products also aimed to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides. This would reduce farming costs and provide an increased quantity of the crop. Genetically Modified plants are most beneficial for developing countries. In the United States, more than eighty percent of soya and fifty percent of corn pertain to Genetically Modified plants. The US grows biotech crops such as corn and soybeans for animal feed and human consumption, which is thrice that of some countries. Opponents to Genetically Modified food products, claim that such products cause allergies and produce toxic reactions in humans. They also contend that growing such plants would damage the environment. Other criticisms leveled at these products, include the combination of genetically modified crops with normal crops by pollination or by human intervention. Several nations had not granted permission for genetically modified crops, but farmers in those countries had been buying the seeds for growing such crops (Genetically Modified Food Items Are Common, but Little Noticed. D.4). The Pew Charitable Trust conducted a survey in order to assess the level of knowledge of consumers with regard to genetically modified food products. The results of the survey indicated that there was high level of ignorance among the consumers in the United States regarding genetically modified foods. More than fifty five percent of respondents accepted that they knew next to nothing about genetically modified foods, even though such food products were widely available in the supermarkets. Twenty percent of the respondents were aware of the fact that they had consumed genetically modified food products. Nearly thirty percent of respondents had opined that genetically engineered foods were safe, while twenty – five percent held that such products were unsafe. A majority of respondents, nearly seventy – five percent, had stated that labels were to be affixed on food products, which would provide information about the ingredients in those products. Sixty percent of the survey’s respondents had opposed genetically modified food products (Product liability - Survey finds GM ignorance in US). A report in the New Scientist, in March 2001, reported that four percent of the entire maize crop in the US had been mixed with the StarLink GM strain of maize. This strain is unsuitable for human consumption and accordingly the government had not approved it for human consumption. Similarly the Aventis CropScience was also not approved. The company, Aventis, had required the Environmental Protection Agency to establish the limit for the level of genetically modified grains acceptable, in human food products. This move would enable companies to promote more GM food products for human consumption and to prevent the companies from mixing dangerous strains of proteins or genes in food products meant for human consumption (Product liability - Survey finds GM ignorance in US). The US labeling rules only concern the contents of the packaged food; whereas, the European regulations require manufacturers to display the manufacturing process and the place of production on the labels, in addition to the information about the ingredients in the product. Moreover, in Europe as opposed to the United States, labeling regulations make it mandatory to include the information of DNA or any proteins used from genetically modified plants. Further, the Europe legislation requires the label to display the presence of processed derivatives, like, glucose syrup and canola oil. However, products made from animals, which had been fed genetically modified animal feed are not required to be displayed in the labels. Similarly products made through genetically engineered processes, such as cheese are also exempted (Krebs). There are several differences in the labeling practices of Europe and the United States. These differences are evident in the national food policies and the challenges that have emerged from them. For instance, obesity is such a national challenge in the US, and the policy makers of the Government cannot intervene with it. This is because food habits, diet and lifestyle are a part of personal freedom. Hence, the state cannot intrude and this poses a serious challenge to the health care policies of the government. The costs of health care are increasing, and the intervention of the government is necessary to mitigate the problem of obesity. This problem exists both in Europe as well as the United States. The health care policies have been restructured to include voluntary changes to be initiated by food industry, public awareness and education; and more importantly the changes to be made to the labels that provide information regarding the nutritional value of the products. Several countries, including the US, have adopted a number of strategies to address this problem. One of these is placing a restriction on vending machines installed in schools, the products made available in those vending machines, and providing low calorie food on these vending machines. States’ intervention can also be seen in the television advertisements of food products. These interventions are aimed at making people select healthy and low – calorie food products (Krebs). The United States is considered to be the fattest nation in the world. It is also considered to have the best nutrition labeling policies, due to the establishment of nutrition facts panels. The efficiency of these policies is under scrutiny. Tesco, the largest food retailer chain in the United Kingdom, employs a traffic light system in its labeling by using red, yellow and green colors. This permits consumers to have better knowledge regarding the nutritional value of the ingredients in the product. However, there is opposition to this policy and opponents claim that green color implies that the product is good and can be usable whereas red indicates that the product is bad, which could result in product discrimination. People have the tendency to ignore the recommendations of nutritionists. Despite these arguments, the results of research studies conducted in the UK clearly established the fact that people prefer the traffic light system to choose food products. The response of the food industry to the obesity problem and health care policies is immense; and at present, people can purchase low calorie foods, and foods that reduce cholesterol, such as margarine, eggs containing omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, and yogurt, which can help to keep cholesterol in check (Krebs). Genetically Modified foods have been sold in the US markets from quite some time. However, many people are not aware of the fact that they consume such altered food. It is the right of consumers to know what they are eating. This can be achieved only by proper labeling of food products. Therefore, the labeling of Genetically Modified foods is essential, in order to safeguard public awareness and health. Works Cited Ahmed, F. "Detection of genetically modified organisms in foods. 215 - 223." Trends in Biotech (2002): Vol. 20, Iss. 5. Chaudry, A. "GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS." The Science Creative Quarterly (Jan – Mar 2007): Issue Two. Debate and Policies on Labeling GM Foods. 18 April 2008 . "Genetically Modified Food Items Are Common, but Little Noticed. D.4." Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y. (Mar 24, 2005). Krebs, John. "Whats on the Label? 1101." Science (11/12/2004): Vol. 306 Issue 5699, 1p; (AN 15178533) Database: Sociological Collection. Labeling GM Foods. 18 April 2008 . "Product liability - Survey finds GM ignorance in US." Lloyds Product Liability International. 1 June 2001. Smyth, S. and P. Phillips. "Labeling to manage marketing of GM foods. 389 - 393." Trends in Biotech (2003): Vol. 21, Iss. 9. The Quest for Labeling GM Foods in the US. 28 November 2007. 18 April 2008 . Read More