Abstract

HERRERO OLARTE, Susana. Genetically modified foods as global public goods. suma neg. [online]. 2014, vol.5, n.10, pp.59-66. ISSN 2215-910X.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-910x(14)70010-2.

Genetically modified (GM) food has become very important in the field of research, as a result of its expansion in recent decades. As the right to food is a human right, it cannot be left in the hands of private sector developments exclusively, due to the capacity of the public sector to limit or drive it, and in any case, contributing to food safety.

To achieve this, and for its cross-border development, GM needs to be treated as Global Public Goods (GPG), defined as pure or impure public goods that cannot be provided or regulated from a national or regional level, but from a global perspective. Its definition as GPG, and the fact of being public goods, assumes greater involvement by the public sector for its supply or regulation.

It is therefore necessary to analyze the positive and negative externalities generated by transgenic foods becoming public goods, but from a global perspective. The difficulty is, that according to the author, GMs are positive or negative, so that there is no consensus to restrict and even prevent them or encourage them. But, there is a consensus on some key issues of GM food, such as improving productivity, contributing to the reduction of the species, the dependence of farmers, or monopoly companies with the patent. Identifying these issues can serve to initiate the appropriate regulation.

Keywords : GM; Global public goods; Globalization; Monsanto; Regulation.

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