The responsibility of food corporations for their customers' health

Food experts tell us that the abundance of food, its easy availability and its chemical ingredients can have a negative effect on our health. The main focus in the academic literature regarding the responsibility of the food industry for the health of their customers is on the marketing of rotten or damaged food products, which may have a negative affect on our health that is immediate. However, an issue which is neglected is the responsibility of the food industry for food products which affect the consumers' health in the long run. Their influence on our health in the long run is not one dimensional, and not always known to the marketer, even after long periods of production. This paper examines the responsibility of the food industry for the customers' long term health. It assesses the relevance of the classical positions that regarding the responsibility of manufactures for consumers' safety. It shows the weaknesses of this model for the food industry since our eating habits are not just commodities we choose to consume. Subsequently it asks about the proper ethical norms in the food industry. Establishing ethical norms in the food industry requires that we choose a responsible risk management policy. In this sense, the desired norms should be built on the constitutive principle according to which those who have the power (ability) have the responsibility.