Ethical issues involved with regard to genetically modified foods Ethics is defined as the moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity. It is a moral code or principal of values and rights and wrongs. Unfortunately ethics has many grey areas which can be managed to suit either party. GM foods have many concerns and these have raised public support or concern of the products. The issues have also triggered controversy and regulations around GM foods and any company that produces these crops or products. Concerns range from the environment to risks to our food web or issues concerning disease, allergies and contamination. Allergies and Disease A major ethical problem relates to allergies and diseases that are triggered in humans through consumption of GM Foods. Because genes are extracted from allergenic organisms and spliced into another that does not produce allergies, humans are unknowingly exposed to allergens. Allergic reactions range from mild skin …show more content…
For example edible insects, of which 2000 edible species are known and 2 billion people already eat insects. They emit fewer greenhouse gasses and require less land to produce. Bio pesticides and biological control agents like fungi and plants are a growing market at only 4.1% of the world usage. How is GM crop pest resistance going to affect these sustainable alternatives? Technology for precision farming already increases crop yields according to USDA Economic Research. (Nat Geo July 2014) Perhaps managing our land resources more effectively on a massive scale will do more than tampering with the genetics of basic food sources. The worrying feedback on research and the controversial issues that are being exposed as more questions are asked leads me to believe that this is just the beginning of another crisis of our own (humanity) making. Who will be affected in the long run?