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Food Biotechnology's Challenge to Cultural Integrity and Individual Consent
Author(s) -
Thompson Paul B.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
hastings center report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-146X
pISSN - 0093-0334
DOI - 10.2307/3528777
Subject(s) - food sovereignty , genetically modified organism , sovereignty , genetically modified food , genetically modified crops , microbiology and biotechnology , business , political science , environmental ethics , law , marketing , food security , transgene , biology , agriculture , philosophy , politics , gene , ecology , biochemistry
Consumer response to genetically altered foods has been mixed in the United States. While transgenic crops have entered the food supply with little comment, other foods, such as the bioengineered tomato, have caused considerable controversy. Objections to genetically engineered food are varied, ranging from the religious to the aesthetic. One need not endorse these concerns to conclude that food biotechnology violates procedural protections of consumer sovereignty and religious liberty. Consumer sovereignty, a principle especially valued in this country, requires that information be made available so each individual or group may make food choices based on their own values. And as yet, there is no policy provision for informing consumers about the degree to which food has been genetically engineered.