High Cost of High-Tech Foods
The High Cost of High-Tech Foods
CASE 13, Page 637 By: Paul Denham
This case starts in Sept. 2000 which was when Taco Bell was accused of using GM corn in their taco shells because it was not approved for human consumption, just animal consumption. According to David Roy, the debates are more emotional than logical. That probably has to do with the fear of human nature consuming something genetically modified. Some of the current arguments for the people for GM foods are that people shouldn't be worried until their research finds danger and we should continue to feed the hungry world. With this technology, we can multiply acre yields and at the same time reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides. The people against GM food argue that we are moving to fast by not researching the effects long enough. The science based arguments contradict both parties. Governments citing GM company studies say GM crops and non-GM crops are so similar the do not pose a threat to consumers. Interest groups disagree because they claim the studies are flawed. Opponents of GM foods believe that researchers promise too much and question if testing has been sufficient enough to see how these GM crops will effect the environment. They believe that these studies are often too limited in both time and space to reach a conclusion. Proponents say that their opposition exaggerate the environmental hazards and are reacting out of fear. They also claim that examinations form government agencies are so intense that many standard foods wouldn’t pass. As problems continue to arise with the GM crops, we find many ethical decisions to be made. In the case with Haiti, donating 475 tons of a hybrid corn seed seems harmless, it's not even a GMO, but introducing a hybrid plant that doesn’t produce new seeds could undermine their way of agriculture. It would seem more appropriate to provide them with traditional seeds to make them more independent. In the case of the
CASE 13, Page 637 By: Paul Denham
This case starts in Sept. 2000 which was when Taco Bell was accused of using GM corn in their taco shells because it was not approved for human consumption, just animal consumption. According to David Roy, the debates are more emotional than logical. That probably has to do with the fear of human nature consuming something genetically modified. Some of the current arguments for the people for GM foods are that people shouldn't be worried until their research finds danger and we should continue to feed the hungry world. With this technology, we can multiply acre yields and at the same time reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides. The people against GM food argue that we are moving to fast by not researching the effects long enough. The science based arguments contradict both parties. Governments citing GM company studies say GM crops and non-GM crops are so similar the do not pose a threat to consumers. Interest groups disagree because they claim the studies are flawed. Opponents of GM foods believe that researchers promise too much and question if testing has been sufficient enough to see how these GM crops will effect the environment. They believe that these studies are often too limited in both time and space to reach a conclusion. Proponents say that their opposition exaggerate the environmental hazards and are reacting out of fear. They also claim that examinations form government agencies are so intense that many standard foods wouldn’t pass. As problems continue to arise with the GM crops, we find many ethical decisions to be made. In the case with Haiti, donating 475 tons of a hybrid corn seed seems harmless, it's not even a GMO, but introducing a hybrid plant that doesn’t produce new seeds could undermine their way of agriculture. It would seem more appropriate to provide them with traditional seeds to make them more independent. In the case of the