Why a Free Market Economy Requires GMO Labelling:

the Substantive Difference Between Natural Breeding and Artificial Genes

Copyright 2015, John Manimas Medeiros

 

This thesis uses the following definitions:

A)  Free Market Economy:  means an economic system where the customer or consumer is the sovereign.  The consumer chooses what to buy, and is not directed or instructed by any commercial or political entity to make a particular purchase.  This kind of system requires the most detailed and accurate labelling of food products for sale to the public, because accurate information is required to support meaningful consumer choice.

B)  Genetically Modified plant or animal, or Artificial Genes:  is a plant or animal that has been manufactured or designed by human invasion of the reproductive cell or cells.  This is a human, technical intrusion or intervention in the reproductive process for the purpose of manufacturing (making) a new gene that was not previously made by the natural reproductive process.  This process IS NOT THE SAME AS NATURAL BREEDING because artificial genes are not the product of the division and combination of haploid and diploid genetic packets in the male and female cells that mate in the natural reproductive process.

C)  Natural Breeding: is a kind of partnership between humans and nature where there is no technical intrusion into the male or female reproductive cells but the mating process is controlled so that males and females carrying phenotypes (traits) that are desired in the offspring are more likely to appear in subsequent generations.  Natural Breeding is accomplished by the NATURAL PROCESS OF THE MATING OF A MALE AND FEMALE CELL, AND INCLUDES THE PROCESS OF CELL PRODUCTION OF HAPLOID AND DIPLOID PACKETS OF THE SPECIES GENES.  Therefore, the genes in the offspring of NATURAL BREEDING are not artificial genes, not manufactured genes, not a product of human technology but a product of farming, horticulture and/or animal husbandry.

One can see that these definitions in themselves promote the thesis, which is of course that the two products are not and cannot be the same from a rigorous scientific viewpoint.  In addition to these definitions, there is the matter of WHY the genes were manufactured, or modified by cell intrusion technology.  Usually, there is a motive that arises from the commercial desire to reduce the cost of production, such as making a plant food product easier to harvest, or more resistant to a disease or insect predator.  Also, there may be a desire to change the chemical qualities of the plant food product, such as producing a seed grain with more protein, or more starch, or that cooks faster.  In the case of animals, the usual motive is to produce a food animal that grows faster, or produces more fat, or less fat, or that can survive on a type of animal feed that costs less or is more plentiful.  In all cases, we will find that there is a commercial or technical or production goal that is the motive behind the genetic modification, and that goal is achieved, more or less, by the genetic modification.  That means that in accordance with the most fundamental principles of logic and reason, and science, THE GENETICALLY MODIFIED PRODUCT IS DIFFERENT FROM A PRODUCT THAT WAS NOT SUBJECT TO CELL INTRUSION TECHNOLOGY.  THE GENES ARE ARTIFICIAL, A HUMAN ARTIFACT, UNLIKE GENES THAT ARE THE PRODUCT OF HAPLOID/DIPLOID NATURAL CELLULAR-DRIVEN REPRODUCTION. 

So then, speaking of motives, what is the motive for denying this free-market choice to the consumer.  It cannot be in the best interests of the consumer, and it cannot be in order to support a free market system.  The purpose has to be to subvert a free-market system and disinform the consumer and deny the consumer the choice between these two types of food products.  If labelling is not required for Genetically Modified food products, the consumer is not sovereign, but instead a conspiracy of government and corporate commercial entities is changing their claimed allegiance to a free-market to a commitment to a managed market.  This "managed market" is no different from the "state planning" that was practiced in the now defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  We are observing the spectacle of corporations revealing their true motives:  to be in control of the market, to do whatever it takes to obstruct a free-market system. 

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