Relativity of Labeling Genetically Engenineered Products

In the U.S., GM foods have received little public opposition; this is largely due to the fact that food manufacturers are not required to label their products as containing genetically modified ingredients for fear of confusing consumers. Due to the lack of evidence that genetically altered foods are harmful, the Food and Drug Administration considers GM foods to be “generally regarded as safe” (known as GRAS) and no special labeling is required (Falkner 103). In the U.S., genetically modified crops are monitored by t...

Wohlers, A. E. (2013). Labeling of genetically modified food. Politics and the Life Sciences, 32(1), 73-84.

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.

There is a battle raging across the United States between consumers who purchase genetically modified foods and the companies that processes these foods through genetic modification. Consumers are demanding that all genetically modified foods are labeled so that they will have information about what ingredients are in these foods. The companies who sell genetically modified foods do not want to label them and are making claims that labeling these foods would raise food prices, hurt farmers, and cause genetically modified foods to gain the reputation of being harmful to humans. Consumers should ignore the claims by companies responsible for producing genetically modified foods and be unrelenting in their insistence that all genetically modified foods are labeled. They should further demand that genetically modified foods have labels that are not written in biotech language, but in terms simple enough that an elementary school age child could read and understand.

How well do we know the food we are eating? Ever wondered whether these foods are safe? In the recent years, people have become more aware of how genetically modified foods have substituted our diets with altered foods -- to which little we know about the long term effects on humans. These food being fed to us is called Genetic Modified Organism or GMOs. Just in 2012, prop 37 was proposed in California, which would have required labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food, with some exceptions. Although this prop did not pass, it did however raise the awareness. When one thinks about GMOs, it does not seem like a hot issue, but it still deserves some attention because it has to do with people’s health and people deserve to know what they are eating. Consequently, the Government should regulate GMOs by requiring labeling of such foods.

"| Genetically Engineered Foods/Tell FDA to Label." Just Label It. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2014. .

Wohlers, Anton E. "Labeling of Genetically Modified Food." N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Rpt. in Politics & the Life Sciences. 1st ed. Vol. 32. N.p.: n.p., 2013. 73-84. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .

Main, E. (2011, March 28). Concerned Consumers Nationwide Demand GMO Labeling . Retrieved February 22, 2012, from www.rodale.com: http://www.rodale.com/labeling-gmo-foods

Paarlberg, Robert L. "Food Safety and Genetically Engineered Foods." Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2013. 184-204. Print.

A substantial percentage of the work on the ethics of genetically modified food has primarily centralized on its potentially nocuous effects on human health and on the rights to label