It has been said that over 10 million cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases occur every year.
Compare that to the number of people who contract illnesses from Genetically Modified Food. Compare that to the number of people whose drinking water has been contaminated by fracking (if it does happen, it’s from the wastewater on the way out). Compare that to the number of people who contract diseases from eating in-organic foods.And compare the negative externality that someone with an STD imposes on everyone else as compared to what happens when you actually do have a tarnished apple.
Just for fun, I’d like to see someone who seriously wants to prevent me from being able to eat apples grown with industrial chemicals on the grounds that it is possibly unhealthy then also propose an Orwellian regime that monitors every minute of my sexual activity, and that for everyone else as well. I can imagine that someone may retort: no one wants to prevent me from eating apples with industrial chemicals – but indeed they do. That’s what subsidies for organic farms do. That’s what stricter regulations on commercial food does. One need not craft a rule that says, “thou shall not eat commercial apples” to have a similar impact. If policy raises the cost to me of consuming apples, then it has had the same impact.
I assume you are just referring to the U.S., right?