Consumers have a right to know what it is in the food they buy. Many people do not want to eat food products with genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. While several states have passed GMO labeling laws, there is not a federal requirement. That means that in most places in the U.S. consumers still don’t know whether a product they buy contains GMOs.
One government official has an idea. Recently, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack suggested that smart phones could be used to scan bar codes on food packages. “Industry could solve that issue in a heartbeat," Vilsack the Associated Press.
But barcoding is not a better way to inform consumers. As Scott Faber, head of the Just Label It campaign, told the AP, “Consumers shouldn't have to have a high-tech smart phone and a 10-gigabyte data plan to know what's in their food.” In other words, good old-fashioned food labels would do the trick.
1. The majority of Americans favor GMO labeling.
Poll after poll finds that most consumers want GMO foods to be labeled. An ABC poll a few years ago found that 93 percent of respondents said the federal government should require labels on GMO foods. A New York Times poll also found that 93 percent of those polled favor GMO labeling.
2. Americans, and Canadians for that matter, have a right to know what is in their foods.
Many other countries, about 64, label GMOs, including the 28 member nations of the European Union. Even Russia and China label GMOs. Absent from the list of countries are the U.S. and Canada, which means that North American consumers cannot make informed choices when they do grocery shopping.
3. Studies have linked GMOs to a slew of health problems.
One study linked GMO maize to organ toxicity in rats. Labeled the Seralini study for the name of one of its lead researchers, Gilles-Eric Seralini, the study found effects in the kidney and liver of rats fed GMO maize. Researchers also found effects in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system.
4. There will only be a very small cost to consumers to label GMOs.
A study conducted by the consulting firm, ECONorthwest for Oregon’s failed GMO labeling initiative, Proposition 92, found that the annual cost to consumers to label GMOs would be $2.30. What is a few bucks a year?
5. One company is already working to voluntarily label GMO foods.
Whole Foods, the national grocery store chain, announced last year that it will label all GMO products in its stores by 2018. While it is taking Whole Foods years to label GMO products, it is showing that it can be accomplished.
Are you convinced that GMO foods should be labeled? There is something you can do to let the federal government know that you favor GMO labeling over barcodes. Sign the Organic Consumers Association petition, which makes it clear to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack that GMO foods need labels and not barcodes. Just say no to barcodes.
READ MORE: How Avoid GMOs in 9 Simle Steps >>
Image: CJ Sorg
