The politics and science behind GMO acceptance.
The question of nutritional quality has arisen in the International Community over the last few years along with other important issues such as population aging, multipopulation societies, and political conflicts. The nutritional issue is questioned both quantitatively and qualitatively. It is well known that the planet faces enormous problems with food that is available. Nowadays 20% of the population consumes approximately 80% of the produced energy and natural resources. During the last 15 years, a series of food scares and crises (BSE, dioxin, foot and mouth disease, bird flu) have seriously undermined public confidence in food producers and operators and their capacity to produce safe food. As a result, food safety has become a top priority of the European legislative authorities. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is the new food safety concern which despite the intense reactions from Non Governmental Organizations and consumer organizations have entered our lives with inadequate legislative measures to protect consumers from their consumption. The GMO issue will be the issue for discussion in the long run not only for the European Community but also for the international community as far as scientific, economical, political, ideological, ethical, and human issues are concerned. These issues are discussed in this paper along with a case of study of GM fish.
Varzakas
Theodoros H
TH
T. H. Varzakas Technological Educational Institute of Kalamata, School of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Processing of Agricultural Products, Hellas, Greece.
Arvanitoyannis
Ioannis S
IS
Baltas
Haralambos
H
D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005062:European Union; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007881:Legislation, Food; D009753:Nutritive Value; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011057:Politics; D018570:Risk Assessment