Ethical Issues Facing the Food Industry

The array of ethical issues facing the food industry is extensive. It includes fair and just treatment to food industry employees, especially as disproportionate numbers of minorities take jobs in food processing and food service. Issues of food distribution and hunger continue to be important. In the calendar year 1992, however, these issues pale in comparison to those raised by food safety and labeling. The impetus for this issue is multiple, The Nutritional Food Labeling Policy Act has mandated new labels intended to provide consumers with consistent information on ingredients that will be useful in dietary planning. Questions over labeling of foods derived from the transfer of genetic materials are being asked by regulators, the food industry and by consumer advocates. The so-called “Delaney paradox,” has raised questions about the ethics of limiting risk from additives, while risk associated with whole foods is unregulated. At the same time, lingering questions about risk from pesticide residues and microbial contamination frame a continuing debate over food safety, one which frequently returns to labeling as a strategy for addressing consumer concerns.