What are some of the possible moral or ethical issues related to the use of genetic engineering food?

Answer 1

This may show what possibilities for altering the stuff we eat can result in the negative; a lady who has 2 sons, both allergic to Brazil nuts, become extremely ill and almost die after comsuming lettuce. An intensive search/testing proved the lettuce was combined with a gene from Brazil nuts; reason at present, unknown. Anything from disease resistance to tolerance to frost...who knows? If anyone out there can check this tale or similars, I would certainly love to know...I have not got the time, talent or patience ! P.S. HAS ANYONE noticed..the biggest, abnormally HUGE fruits sold in stores (especially strawberries! my former favorite!) now have poor, sometimes almost non-existent, flavor. Nothing like the roadside stands I recall as a child in the 1950's. It's all about sales; my opinion, don't mess with Mother Nature.

Answer 2

A couple of the the answers above are talking about genetically "modified" foods. Not really "engineered" as such...

The classic example of a genetically "modified" plant is the group which includes broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts. We've used selective breeding to enhance traits which we like - broccoli is attractive because it's green etc. This is why we've got gigantic and less - than - tasty apples and strawberries. For a real piece of fruit, GO ORGANIC!!! they're often from heritage seed stocks and have NOT been fooled with!

The most extreme example of selective breeding is the humble dog. They're pretty much all from the same original stock and have the same DNA.

As far as Genetic Engineering goes, it's putting odd genes into another thing's DNA strand to "help" us...like putting fish genes into tomatoes so that they're resistant to frosts etc.

The harm comes in when you consider the effects which this may have on the environment. In my country (Australia) there's a bucketload of resistance because the companies which are doing this aren't giving us all the facts because they want to make money of course. One of the biggest environmental and moral dilemmas is how you keep the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crops from contaminating non-GMO ones. What does an Organic farmer do if his crops are infected with GMO pollen? At the moment the bizarre situation is that the company who owns the seed can sue the Organic farmer for theft!!! How wrong is that??? The organic farmer doesn't just lose his hard - won status as a farmer who's trying to do the right thing, he's also hauled before a court!!! There's a HUGE moral dilemma!

There's also the health effects mentioned above...plus there's no doubt many others that we've not seen yet.

For a parallel, look at the way the "green" revolution of the 1960's stuffed so many things after it was touted as THE best thing since sliced bread. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Check out Rachel Carson's amazing book from 1962 called "Silent Spring". There's a lot of parallels between that book's scenarios and what the multinational corporations like Monsanto and DuPont are trying to pull on us now with GMO crops.

Hope this helps,

Love and Light,

Jarrah

Answer 3

Genetic engineering is a technique, and a fashion isn't an ethical issue. What would properly be an ethical issue is what you want to do with that technique!! playstation : beware in you sub-question: you'll not in any respect be in a position to regulate behaviours with genetic!!!!

Answer 4

That the cross breeding transfer from one species to another without afterthgought or forethought. Food is naturallly genetically engineered by nature anyway.

Answer 5

For one, they won't be "kosher", so that will be against the Jew's religion to consume them.

If they contain pork or any pork by-products, that will keep Muslims and perhaps other religions away as well.

I'm sure there are others, but I don't want to do ALL of your homework...lol.

Hope this is at least a good start for you.