GMO’s have many favorable characteristics for cultivation, such as higher hardiness and faster maturation, increased nutritional content, and possible benefits to the environment. However, these benefits come with the risk of a world food monopoly, the violation of people’s beliefs and organisms’ intrinsic values, and adverse effects on human and environmental health. These hazards are too high a risk to take, which is why in order to protect the American people from these negative repercussions, I propose the following: 1. Ban the further incorporation of GMO’s into the American food supply, until more research can be conducted into whether or not they are completely safe for consumption. a. Until we can be sure that new developments in genetic engineering are safe, we should refrain from adding any more GM foods to protect the American populace. 2. Require that all foods that currently include GMO’s be labeled as being such. a. This gives the public the choice to purchase food that they see fit for consumption, as well as increasing awareness in consumers. 3. Increase FDA and USDA regulation of genetic engineering. a. Ensures that no dangerous allergens, pathogens, or mutations are created in foods. 4. Increase EPA research on the environmental effects of GM foods. a. The effect of GM foods on the environment is an important, if under-researched, aspect in whether they should be grown. 5. Decrease the time that a genetic patent is valid to 5 years. a. Decreasing the time that a patent is accepted prevents companies from gaining complete, permanent dominance over a strain of food.