Line 4Line 4 Copyic/close/grey600play_circle_outline - material
Answers

Question

Can you please explain the safety debate of gmo? can you please discuss the labeling controversy?

Submitted by: Shira Sultan


Answer

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Tuesday, 20/02/2018 12:37

GMOs are safe. In fact, according to this response, “the overwhelming consensus of scientific experts and major scientific authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the American Medical Association have ruled that GMOs are safe.”

 

In the spring of 2016, The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) issued a comprehensive report where a panel of more than 20 scientists, researchers, agricultural and industry experts reviewed over 20 years of data since GMOs were introduced, including nearly 900 studies and tests and European and North American health data. They concluded – as other previous research concluded – that genetically modified crops are safe to eat, have the same nutrition and composition as non-genetically modified crops and have no links to new allergies, cancer, celiac or other diseases.

 

Extensive and continued studies on GMOs are being conducted to ensure their ongoing safety. In addition to the NAS analysis, there are thousands of studies available confirming the safety of GMOs, as well as hundreds of independent studies.”

 

Bruce Chassy, Professor Emeritus of Food Safety and Nutritional Sciences, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, explains the longest study done on how GMOs affect the longevity and overall health of human beings in his response here.

 

We also invite you to check out the full response which provides more information about GMO safety.

 

The topic of labeling can be discussed in many different ways. We hope the below information on labeling GM food addresses your question.

 

The issue of GMO labeling, the consumer choice and logistical impacts of labeling genetically engineered food is discussed in this response.

 

Scott Kohne, NAFTA market acceptance manager for the Seeds Unit at Bayer, explains the difference between labeling in different countries vs. labeling GMO products in the U.S. Read his full response here.

 

“Foods being produced or packaged in the U.S. and exported to those countries that do have GMO labeling requirements would need to comply with the specific labeling requirements for that country. There are different requirements for many of these countries, which creates additional costs and complexities for both the food manufacturer and exporter and for consumers in that country. Remember that these GMO products are regulated in many countries and a part of the regulatory approval process is the evaluation of the safety and nutritional facts of the GMO product – the same evaluation as conducted in the U.S.”

 

Lisa Katic, president of K Consulting, explains the rationale for the FDA labeling policy of GM food in her response here.

 

Kate Hall, former managing director for the Council for Biotechnology Information, also addresses how labeling of GMOs would affect the consumer and the producers in this response.

 

Several other experts have addressed the issue of GMO labeling in previous responses. Read some of their responses here