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Food
Genetically Modified Crops -- America says 'Yes' while the European Union and the Sudan says 'No!
Recently, the famine-stricken nation of the Sudan turned away an entire load of crops and seeds that could have filled the bellies of many of its hungry citizens. Why did it do so? Was it madness? No, it was because of the fact that the products in question contained genetically modified crops. "Eat GM or Starve," said the United States, according to an association designed to prevent the introduction of GM crops into the international as well as the national food supply. (OCO, 2004) Proponents of these crops, however, pointed out that the genetic modifications were to make the crops more disease resistant and hardier to the harsh climates of the Sudan.
Genetically modified crops remain one of the most controversial agricultural issues today. Despite fears regarding the safety of these so-called franken-foods, and the resistance of the European community in particular to their usage and introduction into the national food supply, as a destruction of ways of traditional methods of farming, the United States has quietly...
Organic foods can be more resistant to harmful bacteria, as well as more attractive and have a longer shelf life. Some see them as a solution to hunger and the difficulty of transporting fresher, healthier produce to an increasingly disease-infested, obese, and diabetic-prone world.
But even American consumer surveys indicate that the vast majority of consumers do not want GM food on their plates, even those consumers who actually eat the crops unwittingly and unknowingly. There remains a broad consensus that at the very least consumers should have the right to choose whether to eat or not GM food, whether this is scientifically valid or not. (COC 2004) Choice is an American byword when it comes to consumer behavior, for better or for ill. After all, one could contend, that one has the right to chose to consume products that are poor for one's health, why should not have consumers have equal right to turn away from products that may or may not threaten one's health through "GMO contamination?"
But the poignant example…
Works Cited
Conference on Coexistence -- COC. (2004) Retrieved on September 20, 2004 at http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/conference/home.htm
U.S. bullying impoverished Sudan." (March 19, 2004) Organic Consumers Organization (OCO). Retrieved on September 20, 2004 at http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/sudan031904.cfm
The current food distribution system exists for economic reasons, not of pure malice. The current food distribution system "…does involve transportation costs, but it also puts food production where it is cheapest," in the most fertile areas of the country and away from urban centers. (Cowen). Putting them near areas where people actually live would not only be an inefficient, sub-optimal use of that land but would also reduce the
The section on animals was particularly heart-wrenching. In a society built on consumer excess, the meat industry has proliferated to the extent that it has become a disgusting parody of itself. We are no longer talking about families gathered around the table for a weekly pig roast. Now, Americans feel entitled to eating hamburgers twice a day, chicken every day, pork, beef, lamb, in various forms. The sense of entitlement
By attempting to suppress debate about the subject, Monsanto created and subsequently reinforced the notion that BGH is a harmful substance. Eventually, the company was forced to exit the business, because of the damage they did to the product's reputation. There are times when good ethics demands that a new product innovation be dropped, and this was likely one of those times. By pursuing profit instead, Monsanto has put the
While Heffern discusses obesity, he fails to make the connection that the availability of cheap, non-nutritious food is not a requirement that people eat it. However, when the only food available is expensive food, many have no choice but to starve. Furthermore, Heffern uses very loaded language to sway the reader towards his point-of-view. Heffern points out that big tobacco has purchased many producers of cheap food, trying to taint
production of food products has changed dramatically over the past several years. Technological changes in machinery, increased use of better and more expedient forms of transportation, and improved fertilizers have all contributed to a more efficient food production process. This more efficient process, however, has not come with some requisite problems. The existing system of delivering food products in the United States is a major contributor to the world's global
Food There are many different controversies with respect to food, among them issues about long-run food security, about different health issues related to food including added salt and trans-fats, or on the positive side the value of highly-nutritious superfoods. But probably the biggest subject of public debate with respect to food these days relates to GMOs, or genetically-modified organisms. They are almost always banned in Europe, but in the U.S. not