GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

Should Genetically Modified Foods be Labeled?

Should Genetically Modified Foods be Labeled?

Introduction

The debate about genetically modified (GM) crops should be focused on how these foods are being forced onto an unsuspecting public. According to a US Food and Drug Administration report, almost every member surveyed in a focus group require Genetically modified foods to be labeled. So far, there is still no compulsory labeling for genetically modified food. Serious human health problems, such as allergies, have increased since the introduction of GM crops and some animals have even died from consuming GM foods (www.fda.gov). Allowing biotech companies to freely market GM foods, threaten organic food production, and dominate seed production violates consumers' freedom of choice.

Discussion

Many people assume that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that all genetically engineered (GE) food is safe because it does not require premarket approval. However, the FDA's 1992 policy document identifies specific GE applications that pose potential human and animal health risks. The document indicates that the burden of identifying and reporting potential problems is placed on the companies manufacturing GE products. The policy statement further recommends that manufacturers label foods with any of these potential risks. (Laura, 1998)

Subsequent investigations by the European Commission, Health Canada, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and others have confirmed or broadened the specific health risks identified in the FDA policy statement. This, along with such controversies as human consumption of Starlink corn,1 has led to criticism of self-enforcement. In response, the FDA has proposed a revision in its policy that will require premarket review 120 days prior to release of all new genetically modified food and animal feeds.

In contrast to the United States, the European Community (EC) has had a moratorium, recently lifted, on approval of genetically modified food. The proposed legislation had strict labeling and tracing requirements for all food with GE ingredients. Individual countries such as Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand have also enacted legislation requiring labels for genetically modified food. Thailand has temporarily banned imports of GE seed. These countries have been buying about 43 percent of U.S. agricultural exports. It is estimated that U.S. farmers lost $300 million in overseas sales in 1999 due to GE corn alone. (Gary, 2010)

Given that some health risks are associated with specific GE applications; that a growing number of major trade partners and competitors, as well as a United Nations agreement, require labeling; and that most U.S. consumers favor labeling, the big policy issue in the United States is not whether labeling will take place. The real questions are how and when, and whether labeling will apply only to the export market. (Weirich, 2007)

Labeling

Critics of GM foods may agree that they have to send a message not only through political advocacy but also through the consumer choices they make. For consumers to send a message through their choices, they must know which foods contain GM ingredients. No one questions the right of the consumer to make informed ...