On Monday, the fourth annual Fall Ethics Symposium titled ‘The Ethics of Food’ had lectures discussing genetically modified organisms, affects of food on the community, healthiness of food and how animals relate to food.

Students of Cosumnes River College, Sacramento City College and Sacramento State, met in the Hinde Auditorium to hear the studies of food from professional philosophers, lawyers, professors, dietitians, environmentalists and more.

Rick Schubert, executive director of the 2009 symposium, said it is important for people to recognize that everyday decisions have a moral dimension including the decision about what we eat.

Half way through the all day event, Russel DiSilvestro, associate professor of ethics and 2009 symposium director, said he was pleased with the turnout.

Each session had nearly 100 students filling the University Union’s Hinde Auditorium.

“We had to print more programs,” DiSilvestro said, “We had 250 and ran out half way through.”

People continued to file in the auditorium for the third session titled Food and Health led by Dianne Hyson, Sac State associate professor of family and consumer sciences, and C. Tissa Kappagoda, UC Davis professor of internal medicine.

The session discussed the importance of labels on packaged food and how labels have improved in the last few years but still have a long way to come in the United States.

Kappagoda said labels should be marked by skulls and bones or even stars in order to tell the consumers if the product is healthy or not.

Hyson and Kappagoda discussed how New York has government-supported advertisements relating to the affects of obesity. Advertisement warnings include photos of overweight children eating McDonalds and photos of soda becoming pure fat.

During the question and answer portion of the third session an audience member asked what the pros and cons would be of taxing fast food and how a low-income family would afford a meal when they are used to the affordability of fast food.

“Healthy food is not expensive,” Kappagoda said, “People do not eat well because they are in a time constraint.”

There are two issues in the food industry Kappagoda said. The first one is that there is too much advertising and the second is the government makes decisions on things they do not understand based on either economy or health. Politicians make decisions to be re-elected.

The final session titled ‘Animals as Food’ was a lecture by Alastair Norcross, University of Colorado professor of philosophy, and commentary by Robert C. Jones, Chico State philosophy professor.

Norcoss used the analogy of a fictitious man named Fred who would torture countless puppies for his own human pleasure. Norcoss said that Fred is just like consumers who purchase meat from factory farms where animals are tortured

“The only benefit we get is the taste of meat,” Norcoss said.

After Norcoss finished his argument, Jones spoke. Jones said after hearing Norcoss’ lecture, people might morally believe they can still eat meat as long as it is humanely raised livestock.

Jones said he read a book when he was young called “Diet for A New American” by John Robbins and has been vegan since, for 22 years total.

“It changed by life,” Jones said.

Macey Milan, senior philosophy major, said she attended the symposium for extra credit but after the lecture she considered how she is feeding her family and herself.

“It made me ask myself, how am I eating?” Milan said.

After the seminar Animals As Food Milan said she plans on becoming a vegetarian and she will think of puppies the next time meat is in front of her to eat.

Vanessa Garibaldi can be reached at [email protected]