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GMO Labeling Argument Essay

748 Words3 Pages

Much of the debate surrounding GMOs center around autonomy and conservation of biodiversity. Many of the benefits GMOs have provided are often clouded by the concerns many have regarding the future diversity and well being of species (including humans) with continued use of GMOs. What can be done to help resolve these problems. First step centers around developing policies that would mandate disclosure regarding foods that contain GMO products. The USDA has approved currently 18 different genetically modified crops (10 are cultivated in the U.S. of which 9 are used for food production). These crops include: corn, soybean, potato, papaya, squash canola, alfalfa, apple, and sugar beet. The question remains do consumers need to know what they …show more content…

One measure would be to mandate the labeling of all GMO foods. Much of the legislature surrounding the labeling debate have been created at a state level with very limited success. For example in 2013, Connecticut became the first state to pass a law requiring GMO labeling by signing the Public Act No. 13-183 or an Act concerning Genetically Engineered foods on June 25, 2013. This law however had a stipulation: four other states with a combined population of 20 million first had to adopt a similar standard before Connecticut’s law will take effect. This has made implementation of the law difficult. So far only Vermont, Maine and Connecticut have passed legislation regulating GMO labeling. Overall 31 states have put forth legislation regarding GMO labeling with little success in being passed. The victory of Continetticuts law has been short lived as lobbyist and GMO related companies argue that mandatory labeling would be unnecessary and costly considering that GMOs have already been shown to be safe by the FDA. To counter Connecticut legislation "The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015," was created which would aimed to put in place federal standards for voluntary labeling of food containing GMO products. In the effort to maintain consumer autonomy, many food producers have utilized labeling to identify those products that contain no GMO

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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 popularly 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 require GMO labeling.

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Thesis Statement: The controversy between GMO's supporters and Organic farmers supporters on labeling GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) foods are confusing consumers. GMO foods should be labeled so the consumers can decide whether they want to buy them or not. I. Labeling GMO foods in the USA. A. Mandatory labeling will allow consumers to identify and choose what kind of food they want to buy or avoid.

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Is Shakespeare ultimately as important as Uncle Tom’s Cabin? Article four of the Universal Declaration of human rights states ‘No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade 04 shall be prohibited in all their forms.’ However, this right is continually violated on an everyday basis. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel, written by lecturer Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852 - to explicate the brutality of slavery. The plot commences with the Shelby household struggling financially and their final resort is to sell the slaves, Uncle Tom and Harry.

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Labeling GMOs The labeling of GMO food is pure common sense, and we should have that information just like we have calorie count. Genetically modified foods are increasingly controversial as they become more widespread. The U.S. manufactures more genetically modified (GM) foods than any other country (Streker). Sixty-one countries, including most developed countries, require labeling of genetically modified foods except for the United States (Burgaard).

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803 Words | 4 Pages

The most sickening problem about this issue is that nations such as Canada do not label these GMO foods. Not knowing that a product is genetically modified can allow companies to increase in sales but, companies should indicate that a product is genetically modified because it is not naturally made, can be a potential risk to your health, and many people

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Everyday people are eating genetically modified organisms and don’t even realize it! There are many people that have absolutely no knowledge of what GMO’s are. The United States needs to pass a federal law requiring the labeling of all genetically modified foods in the country. There are over 60 countries around the world that require the labeling of GMO’s, so why isn’t America doing the same? As consumers, we have the right to know what we’re eating and feeding our families.

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A label is not that important in the eyes of a farmer and manufacturer, simply because of the amount of customers they would get challenging the ‘naturalness’ of their products. But is there really any point in slapping a simple label on GM food to gratify a segment of the population involved. At the end of the day, manufacturers are deciding whether they will even continue to develop an enormously beneficial technology or avoid it based on unsubstantiated

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Increasing effects of GMOs are important to take into consideration. I feel like people would definitely want their food to be labeled about the GMOs because we have a right to know what's in our food. Hawaii people took a survey which said "More than 90 percent of those surveyed supported the labeling of GM foods, 68 percent indicated that such labeling was needed, and 50 percent felt that not labeling GM food products was a violation of the consumer’s rights.” The government has no right to hide what we’re

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The problem is that scientist do not know the effects of these genetically modified foods. We have no idea if there is long term health effects. Eating food that we have no idea if it could kill us in the long run is something no one wants, but not letting people know if what they are eating is genetically modified food it one of the problems in the United States. The labeling of genetically modified organisms should be mandatory in the United States.

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indicates that Americans want to know what their food is made of, but ballot box results seem to paint a different picture. A mandatory labeling law hasn’t passed by voters in any state as of yet. In the states of California, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, and several others there has been little progress made on the side of required GM food labeling. In California, Proposition 37, which would have mandated labeling for GM foods was voted down by constituents, fearful of food prices skyrocketing.18 Legislators in other states passed labeling requirements, but those were easily negated when President Barack Obama signed the SMART Label Law which came into effect in July, 2016.19 The SMART label is a QR code printed on packaged foods that consumers scan for information about the food, such as calorie count, GM ingredients, fat content, potential allergens, and more.20 An example is below in Figure three.

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Imagine that as you walk through the grocery store with your family, you are presented with a view into the unknown. You see that, behind the scenes, the food in your cart and your children’s bellies is being formulated and altered from its original biology. You see that the fruits, veggies and canned goods you once feasted upon, have been genetically altered and induced with chemicals that parallel to weed and insect killers. Next, you observe as cows, pigs and chickens are shot up with steroids and growth hormones to provide you with the meat patties and yogurt in your cart. This is the unfortunate reality that we are hidden from as consumers; the thoughtfully concealed world of GMOs.

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Instead they strive for economic benefits and the income they receive from this easy way to sell food. 92% of the 50 people I surveyed believed that genetically modified foods should be labeled. It is almost impossible for people to know whether they are consuming GMO or non-GMO foods due to the labelling system. Not only did I receive a large quantity but a 2003 poll by ABC news showed the

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In most Countries it’s illegal to not label foods that have been genetically modified. Most Countries

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1533 Words | 7 Pages

A “#monsantoevil” project has also been started on various different social media platforms in order to campaign against Monsanto. People are not only angry about the GMOs they produce, but also the fact that they are opposed of labeling foods that contain GMOs. Consumers should have the right to know what is in their food, and what they are eating (“Millions Against Monsanto” 1). If GMOs are going to be sold in stores, they should at least be labeled so that people can know what they are consuming, and so that people can make personal choices on whether GMO consumption is something they personally believe in. In both the United States and Canada, labeling is not required;

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Genetically modified foods have been receiving a lot of unjustified hate from the media recently. This is unjustified because GM foods are superior for three main reasons; They produce far more food than un-altered crops, the negative environmental impact is decreased, and the overall quality of GM foods is increased. This should be far more than enough to debunk the myths of GM foods being bad. The consumer, being anyone from an industrial farmer to a small family, can rest assured buying, eating or growing

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