If GMO is so safe then wouldn't you be willing to readily label all products containing GMO? You don't run from the cops unless you are doing something wrong, so why are you fighting so hard against labeling GMO?

Expert response from Community Manager

Friday, 09/01/2015 12:19

GMO seeds are the most tested agricultural product in history. It takes approximately 13 years and over $130 million to bring a single GMO crop to market due to research and development, extensive testing requirements, and the lengthy regulatory approval process. As Robert Wager, Vancouver Island University faculty member, outlined in this response: 

“The truth is that you can find out whether GE crops are safe and “good” for you. Internationally agreed upon food safety testing protocols are used to evaluate all GE crops. The evaluation process often takes a decade or more before the GE crop is allowed to be commercialized.  GE crops are tested between 10-50 times more than food from other breeding methods even though the genetic disruptions from other breeding methods far exceed those from GE crop breeding.  Thousands of research papers have examined every reasonable risk for GE crops and derived food.

“Food safety authorities around the world all agree that food derived from GE crops is as safe or in some cases safer than food from other breeding methods (GE crops are the only crops tested for potential allergens before they are commercialized). National health authorities and every National Academy of Science from around the world also all agree on the safety of foods derived from GE crops.”

Additionally, food processors and retailers do already have the ability to voluntarily label foods and food ingredients as containing GMOs or as non-GM, and we support their right to label their products in a way the best meets their customer and business needs. Also, we support mandatory labeling of food, including GM food, if such food presents a safety risk to a certain population —for example, those allergic to a food ingredient like soy.  

Absent a health or safety risk, though, the FDA has determined that: “…there is no significant difference between foods produced using bio-engineering, as a class, and their conventional counterparts.” Hundreds of independent studies have also confirmed the safety of GMOs, and regulatory authorities around the world agree.  We cannot support a mandatory label that conveys to consumers that foods made from GM seeds are less safe, less nutritious or different from conventional and organic foods. We believe a government requirement to label GMOs because of the process by which a seed was produced would do just this.