by The history of genetically modified foods as we know it does not date back far. It was just back in the 1990’s when genetically modified food hit the public market for the first time. The majority of the first available batch of GMO foods for consumers consisted of vegetables. Looking at the state of GMOs in today’s society, we can see the rapid progress of genetically modified foods in that the majority of all foods today are genetically modified or contain ingredients that are genetically modified. The success of farmers/food development are driven through the use the GMOs, however there are numerous questions regarding the ethics behind genetically modified food. Food is an extremely important part of people’s lives and many people have a strong relationship with food. There are cultural and society backgrounds that are represented through food, which gives reason to why questions of ethics are commonly brought up on the topic of genetically modified food. The major concerns regarding genetically modified food are from its negative effects to humans and the environment, immoral treatment of animals, and dominance of major food development companies. While genetically modified foods are obviously going no where and are a valuable aspect of our lives, there is no question that there is valid argument to be made about the ethics behind this process.
There is major controversy and debate over the ethics of genetically modified foods. On the human health of things, scientists tend to agree that there are certainly no major effects to the eaters of GMOs. However, there are a few unknowns regarding the long term effects of GMOs and opposers of genetically modified foods are not settled with this argument due to these unknowns. The bulk of the opposing argument against genetically modified foods is about its negative effects on the environment. A major talking point is about the ethics of significant increases in toxic herbicides and pesticides, which is a result of genetically modified food plants. These toxic liquids can cause negative effects to the surrounding species, who may eat these genetically modified crops. Another question of ethics is about the runoffs of toxic pesticides and herbicides that can flow into a body of water and harm more species. If these toxic runoffs happen to seep into freshwater bodies of water, it can be dangerous for its safety.
Another ethical issue that is quite popular among opposers of genetically modified foods is the clear unnatural process of the modification. Many people see a huge moral problem with this process because humans are altering the natural processes of animals that are in our ecosystems. Eric Hill, from theconversation.com, raises a great question saying, “Perhaps we aren’t so concerned about the essential dignity of rice or wheat, but what about GM pigs that glow in the dark, featherless chickens, cows that produce human milk or the integrity of an ecosystem?” Hill is showing his argument here that he thinks the unnatural modifications of animals, like the examples he laid out, is immoral.
The debate regarding the ethics of genetically modified foods is very much ongoing and will continue to be because of the constant advancements in the field of GMOs. There is no question that genetically modified foods are extremely beneficial for the world, however steps should definitely taken in the future to try to limit the possible risks that GMOs create, as well as the investment into proper ethical processes.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20850572/
https://theconversation.com/because-we-can-does-it-mean-we-should-the-ethics-of-gm-foods-28141
https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes
https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetically-modified-organisms-gmos-transgenic-crops-and-732/
https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/gmos-environmental-concerns