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How to Apply Ethical Principles to the Biotechnological Production of Food – The Case of Bovine Growth Hormone

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Abstract

Ben Mepham has proposed that a ``matrix'' beused in the analysis of ethical problems in foodproduction and elsewhere. In particular cases, thismatrix would ideally cross the most important moralprinciples involved, and the individuals and groupsaffected by the decisions. In the following, Mepham'smodel is assessed in the case of geneticallyengineered bovine growth hormone. My argument is thata more straightforwardly ``consequentialist'' analysiscan draw attention to the problems of using thehormone better than Mepham's original proposal. It ispossible, however, that some nuances will be lost inthe process. I do not, therefore, argue for theoverall superiority of my suggestion – it is merelya slightly different, and perhaps sometimes a morepromising, way to analyze the ethical dimensions offood production and marketing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academy of Finland and University of Helsinki, Department of Practical Philosophy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 24, 00014, Finland E-mail:

    Matti Häyry

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  1. Matti Häyry
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Häyry, M. How to Apply Ethical Principles to the Biotechnological Production of Food – The Case of Bovine Growth Hormone. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 12, 177–184 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009594800384

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009594800384

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