Pro’s & Con’s of Enhanced labeling on food production

As I was researching the benefits and the downfalls of enhanced, I came across a few interesting points. For instance, some benefits of having enhanced labeling on food products can improve specific niche markets such as growing organically based on what the consumer is demanding. On the other hand, this is not always the best financial option because organic products tend to have a higher price but for good reason because it takes different handling and regulations to grow. Because organic products aren’t allowed to be treated with chemical pesticides, it takes a different method to deal with pests than traditional growing. Additionally, enhanced labels increase the trust between the company who is selling the farmer’s crops to the consumer through open communication on how the food was grown, what went into the process of growing the crop, the process it goes through to get from the farm to the market, and so on. This goes hand in hand with the ability of making a larger profit because consumers nowadays trust companies that explain more about their product- especially products with labels that clearly state what is in the food.

Whereas the negatives I researched about enhanced labels included losing profit because sometimes the consumers do not like how the product is being grown or processed which results in the consumer refusing to buy the product until a change is implemented that suits their demand. For instance, consumers do not like caged chickens producing their eggs, they request cage free eggs. So the farmer must keep up with demand by changing their operation to cage free in order to keep a profit because it is what the consumers will purchase, even if the consumers do not see that it may negatively impact the animal. Additionally, the label may be difficult for some people to understand. For instance, a lot of individuals do not know what GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) are so they do not understand how that will help their purchasing choice. Because of not being aware that genetically modified products can increase their storage time without perishing, some consumers believe GMO’s are bad for them because they have been “tampered with” and it isn’t grown organically. Moving on to my last point, some people may just not want to know what is in their food even though a large portion of people do like to know as research has shown in 2017. Overall, the reaction of the consumers will not share the same opinions when it comes down to the idea of enhanced labels but it will lead to different forms of discussion as to why it may or may not be beneficial to some.

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