Task #2 Part 1

Task #2 Part 1

            I am the role of a consumer advocate. A consumer advocate is one who is dedicated to protecting and promoting welfare and rights of consumers. Consumers should be adequately informed of what they are buying for themselves and their families.  As a consumer, I believe that there should be government regulations requiring genetically engineered foods to be labeled. On this label the distributors of food products should include information specifically regarding genetic engineering of the product they are selling.  The label should include, short term side effects, long term side effects, why the product is genetically engineered, and if any part of the genetic engineering process would not comply with a certain religion’s beliefs.

            The definition of genetically engineered foods are foods that are grown, manufactured, processed or otherwise produced or altered with techniques that change the molecular or cell biology of an organism by means or in a manner not possible under natural conditions or processes. Some examples of genetic engineering are recombinant DNA techniques, cell fusion, gene deletion and doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes. My position on Genetic engineering is that Genetic Engineering has a lot of potential but it requires a lot more research than what is provided now.  There should be a label on Genetically Engineered Foods because people have a right to make an educated choice on what they are eating. I also believe that companies and distributors have an obligation to inform consumers of what they are selling. One negative aspect of genetically engineered foods is a creation of an unknown allergy. 

Religion is another proponent of why genetically engineered foods should be labeled. Many religions ban the intake of meat or non-kosher foods. For example, the Hindus do not eat meat and Jewish Peoples do not eat any food that is non-kosher. Food distributors must respect these people’s cultures and keep them knowledgeable on what they are buying.

Since 1992, the FDA has made these conditions on Genetically Engineered foods, If a bioengineered food is significantly different from its traditional counterpart such that the common or usual name no longer adequately describes the new food, the name must be changed to describe the difference. If an issue exists for the food or a constituent of the food regarding how the food is used or consequences of its use, a statement must be made on the label to describe the issue. If a bioengineered food has a significantly different nutritional property, its label must reflect the difference. If a new food includes an allergen that consumers would not expect to be present based on the name of the food, the presence of that allergen must be disclosed on the label. I believe these guidelines are not specific enough to protect the consumers because we still are not well informed on what we are eating.

As a consumer advocate, I am concerned about the well being of consumers. Labels should be demanded by the government for the good of the people. Japan, Australia, and Europe are all labeling there genetically engineered foods. Why shouldn’t we?