GMO labeling is important because there is uncertainty in the safety of GMOs, which indicates a need for long term monitoring, therefore labels are needed to facilitate monitoring by the scientific community and diagnosis by healthcare professionals. The point being made here is that, while the technology of GMO appears to be safe and has been in use commercially for nearly 20 years, it is nonetheless prudent to watch for problems (Dahl). In their scholarly article titled “’Does Contain’ vs. ‘Does Not Contain’; Does it Matter which GMO Label is Used?”, John Crespi and Stephan Marette quote statistics showing that “…21% of Americans feel that GM foods pose ‘serious safety risks’…”, and that the percentages for European nations range from 30% …show more content…
Ball reports, “In the wake of Vermont and other state efforts, the food industry … is clearly panicked by the potential for a 50-state patchwork of conflicting labeling requirements that could force manufacturers to package, say, potato chips differently from one state to another. (An estimated 60 to 70 percent of processed foods contain GMOs).” The food industry does not want labeling requirements to be implemented at the state level because it will be difficult to comply if the laws are different in each state. It makes a lot of sense for the food industry and grocers to have a federal standard to meet rather than trying to accommodate different laws in each state. In a report titled “GMO Labeling Gains Steam Across United States”, published by Quality Progress, Scott Faber, executive director of Just Label It, a national advocacy campaign says, “It’s simply a matter of time” until federal labeling standards come, because he believes the food industry will prefer that to a plethora of state regulations (qtd in GMO). Also in “GMO Labeling Gains Steam” it is reported that the opposition claims that consumer prices could rise as much as $400 a year just to add labels or swap ingredients for one state, California. Because there will be more work involved in following many various state labeling laws, it will be much more expensive for the food industry to comply to state laws rather than federal laws. It is time for the FDA to implement federal labeling standards to protect the food industry from having to comply with complexities, and possibly conflicts, in accommodating a variety of state GMO labeling laws, thereby minimizing labeling costs that are ultimately passed on to
Did you know the food that you could be eating right now can be harmful to you? The food that you eat daily can contain GMOs that can contain things that can cause you to have allergies and even cause you to get cancer sometimes. GM crops can be harmful and dangerous for you. Another reason why GM crops are inadequate is because it can decrease biodiversity of plants and crops, and it can destroy rare species of plants. It can harm organisms that you might not mean to kill. Some people may say that GM crops can stop world hunger. IT WILL NOT! Research shows that some GM crops can not meet the nutritional needs of a human being. It will also not help solve world hunger because some GM crops need many resources to be able for them to produce into healthy crops and poor farmers don’t have much resources.
A very valid point brought up by Clause (Say ‘no’), Hemphill, and Banerjee (both G.M.O. and the U.S.), is that consumers already have an easy and effective option to steer clear from GMOs: buying organic products. Through Hemphill’s and Banerjee’s article, we are informed that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “presently offers an organic certification for crops and processed food products, which by definition prohibits the use of GMO ingredients” (Page 455-466). This is certainly a label that has the ability to help concerned customers know exactly what they are eating. The co-authors call this solution the “Voluntary Labeling Strategy.” There is, however, one issue with this: not all products that don't contain GMOs qualify as organic. The resolution lies in an upcoming proposal from the U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA). It's called “Voluntary Guidelines” and it allows, but doesn't force, GMO-free products to display a label of their own. I believe that this is a much smarter option than labeling every item containing GMOs because it is not binding by law, which would provide consumers with all of the benefits they need to choose the right foods for their preferences, while saving on all of the unnecessary extra costs discussed
A non-GMO label doesn’t necessarily mean “healthy”. White sugar, flour, and processed ingredients if not genetically modified are considered non GMO. Recently Cheerios made their ingredients GMO free. This label made Cheerios seems as a “healthy conscience choice” when in fact they are not healthy at all. The truth is that this breakfast cereal is highly processed and is best to be avoided despite the “healthy halo” of being approved by the National Heart Association and GMO free. The truth appears on the nutrition label and the ingredients (Wartman). “If you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it” The voluntary labeling places a burden on the consumer. The average Americans are forced to navigate confusing and cluttered food landscape” (Wartman). A mandatory labeling law is vital to give clear and concise information to citizens.
GMO`s are starting to rapidly take over our food supply, but what exactly is a GMO? A GMO is a make up of DNA that is combined forcefully with a plant or animals DNA, and creates a new version of it. Seeing these products sold in stores for the first time people question what the change is from the natural, and organics, because when someone reads GMO they wonder if it is healthy and safe to consume.
Until the government creates mandates for issuing labels on foods that contain genetically modified ingredients, there are measures that can be taken by common citizens and supporters of GMO labeling in order to keep Americans safe in the meantime. Since “study after study points to potential health risks” (“Whole Foods Market”), supporters need to raise awareness amongst the rest of society in order to generate a large group that can begin to press the government to create a law to handle the issue. It is in “the state’s interest [to] protect consumers from false or potentially misleading communication or prevent consumers from suffering unwitting harms” (Adler). Moreover, the government must be the one to put an official end to the lack of
Bronner’s raised in 1.15 million dollars to support food labeling. Unfortunately, supporters of the cause are greatly outnumbered by their opponents. Monsanto raised four million dollars in opposition to mandate labeling. In spite of the supporters passionate efforts, GMO labeling most likely would not be the solution that activists and consumers are looking for. “Approximately ⅔ of the foods and beverages we buy and consume would be exempt. Meat and dairy products would be exempt even if they come from animals raised on GMO feed and grain. All alcoholic beverages, food for immediate consumption served in restaurants and other institutions would also be exempt, even if they contain GMO ingredients” (Review Of Proposition). With laws like these, information on GMOs that affect the majority of the people that care about taking these precautions will not be available. The facts that the labeling laws will mandate will be so vague that they will not provide anymore information than companies that label their product with non-GMO or organic. Any label mandated product under Proposition 105 would not have to inform the consumer of what percentage of the product was genetically modified and what ingredients in the food were genetically modified (Review of
GMOs has been around for nearly 50 years. It is something that has emerged itself within our lifestyles and become something that appear in our daily lives, whether it’s on the shelf in grocery shops or on your plate right know; GMOs can be found almost anywhere. However, although the production of GMOs have certainly increased over the years, opinions on it has differed. Some people have come to believe it is dangerous for our health, while other people has stated the exact opposite. Something that
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
Products sold in Oregon that contain GMOs should be clearly labeled so consumers can make healthy and informed choices on the foods they decide to purchase. The use of GMOs in foods has drastically risen in the United States. The Non-GMO Project, a non-profit organization supports this by saying, “In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food”(Non-GMO Project). I decided to go shopping to try and find as many products as I could that were labeled GMO-free, I only found one product labeled GMO-free.... ...
Genetically modified organisms have been the talk of the town for quite some time. People go on strikes and write letters to Congress about them; but are they really that bad. Should they be illegal? Research has shown that GMOs are found in almost every aisle of any American grocery store. The average American would not be able to see that the food they buy contains GMOs because they are not labeled as such. GMOs non-labeled state allow many companies to use dangerous amounts of them in their product in order to keep the price of the product cheap and gain more profit. GMO food should be illegal because its appearance has broken social and political systems by not being properly monitored by higher authorities like the USDA.
The GMO it is always a topical theme, on television, on radio, in newspapers, often we talk about this topic so debated and even painful contrast. But before expressing their own opinion and their own thinking, we must understand what it means and what are GMOs. The abbreviation GMO is the achromic of terms: genetically modified organisms. This are non-human organisms whose genetic material has been altered by genetic engineering techniques. The first GMO of the modern era, was obtained from S. N. Cohen and H. Boyer that were able to clone a frog gene. GMOs are produced through biotechnological processes. Biotechnology are techniques that exploit the properties of both plant and animal cells to produce new varieties of plants or animals. Biotechnology is not an invention of recent decades. Simply the process of fermentation of the wine, which is achieved by exploiting some bacteria, is a biotechnology process known since ancient times.
. If the movement of people, food, and manufactured goods can have such a negative impact on public health, should steps be taken to reduce these flows? What other options are there for lowering the spread of global diseases?
Not many people have heard about GMOs, heaven knows Elena didn’t. The truth is even though you haven’t heard of them, you have probably eaten GMO foods at some point in your life. From being called frankenfood, to maybe ending hunger in certain countries, GMOs have many benefits and many drawbacks. Whether or not you are pro GMO or say no to GMOs, you have to know what they are first.
With all of the controversy surrounding GMO foods: health versus biodiversity; benefits versus dangers; pros versus cons, a topic that always arises is the subject of labeling. Labeling has been a matter of discussion for years and
...M crops will escalate the cost of farming, causing many small farmers to potentially loose their businesses. As GMOs continue to affect human life and the environment, it should be mandatory for products to be labeled if they are genetically modified, thus giving consumers the right to make their own decision. With the list of health risks and environmental issues rising, the use of GMOs should be banned as a method to increase food supply and continue a natural approach to eliminate all risks.