Food Science Ethics: An Introduction

Introduction to Ethics

• Ethics, also called moral philosophy, is concerned with what is morally good and bad, and morally right and wrong
• Ethics is "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation"
• Food consumption and production necessitate ethical judgment

Importance of Ethics in Food Science and Technology (FST)

• Ethical considerations in food production include fair trade, novel foods, animal welfare, climate change, and sustainability of natural resources
• Ethical issues include child labor in food production, genetically modified food materials, and pollution
• Food professionals should consider issues from agricultural production to consumer commercialization
• Professionals should consider what to do if a company buying cheap ingredients has a weak environmental performance

Importance of Food Ethics Education

• Food Ethics Education helps one understand the ethical standards of consumers regarding food production and consumption
• It helps address public concerns about unsustainable industry practices
• It ensures food production complies with laws and regulations for consumer protection and public health
• It prepares one to make ethical decisions and take responsibility when faced with dubious ethical procedures
• It is important to engage in the creation of sound ethical policies and regulations
• Food Professionals must learn and apply ethics in food science and technology to sustain the offering of the "right" food products that according to the consumers moral standards

Three Levels of Moral Problems

• Simple wrongdoing: is when the solution for a situation is evident and does not require reflection with the help of ethics theory
  • Examples: Use of unclean food contact surfaces, use of expired raw materials
• Object of legislation: is where solutions are referred to standards and laws.
  • Examples: use of unclean food contact surfaces leads to growth and survival of microorganisms and pathogens, use of excessive food additives leads to adulteration and/or chemical contamination
• Moral dilemmas: Issues and concerns found in daily work that often require thorough ethical decision-making
• Simple examples: Re-use of frying oil mixed with fresh oil during continuous production of fried potato (Concern: >25% of polar compounds)
  • Complex examples: Use and consumption of Genetically Modified Food (Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO))
    • The US and EU have different dispositions
    • Consumers are more critical while scientists are more favorable to GMO
• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally.

Ethics and Moral Values

• Philosophers believe ethics are the philosophy of moral values, the study, and reflection of what is wrong and what is right
• The term Moral refers to society's standards of acceptable behavior.
• Ethics relate to the systematic approach to morality
• Actions are guided by ethical principles
• The most well-known ethical principle to, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Ethical Theories (Normative)

• Consequential Theory (Teleological Ethics): The consequence of our actions is a common reflection before deciding on an action and is called consequentialism. It is a theory of morality that derives duty or moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved
  • Focuses on the outcomes/results of action/decision
  • Includes: weighing of "Pros" & "Cons" or the "Advantages & Disadvantages"
• Egoism: The good is based on the pursuit of self-interest or "BEST INTERESTS"
• Utilitarianism: Determining results of an action that entail more positive than negative to everyone involved
• Non-consequential Theory (Deontological Ethics): Duty theories are based on what many feel as obligations that a human must have with others
  • Ethical actions follow universal moral laws like "Don't kill. Don't lie. Don't steal. Don't cheat."
  • It does not require weighing of "Pros" & "Cons" or the "Advantages & Disadvantages"

Alternative Approaches (Virtue Theory)

• Character-based ethics: A right act is what a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances
  • Looks at virtue or moral character of the person carrying out an action
• Aristotle's Virtue Theory: Virtues of character are dispositions to act in certain ways in response to similar situations, the habits of behaving in a certain way, or good conduct from habits
• Ethics of Care: Caring is the universal human attribute
• A caring relation is ethically basic to humans

Ethical Principles

• Respect for well-being represents the major utilitarian principle
• Respect for autonomy represents the major deontological principle
• Respect for fairness is important to both the utilitarian and deontological principles and also incorporates the social contract.

Definitions

• Virtue ethics: Emphasizes the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than doing one's duty or acting to bring about good consequences.
• Morality: A system or set of ideas about right vs. wrong behavior, both subjective and part of philosophical study
• Conscience: Involves: A commitment to morality itself to acting and choosing morally according to the best of one's ability
• Includes the activity of judging that an act one has done or will do, will violate that commitment
• Eudaimonia: (in Aristotelian ethics) - The condition of human flourishing or of living well Perfectionism: A moral theory by which certain states or activities of human beings, such as knowledge, achievement and artistic creation are of value.
• Rationalism: The view that regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge.