I am an educated American, and therefore make decisions based on my own evidence gathering. As an adult, I decided that I don't want to eat anything that's genetically modified. I don't care if it was declared safer or healthier than non-GMO food; I don't want to eat it; PLAIN AND SIMPLE. I choose to wear the clothes that I wear - I don't require a fashion professional's input on the matter.

So why should I not be allowed to know what food products contain GMO or non-GMO? Why?

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Thursday, 26/12/2013 17:46

All individuals certainly have the right to choose food products that do or do not contain GMOs. You might be interested in this response provided by Greg Conko, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which addresses the issue of consumer choice with regard to labeling; an excerpt is included below.

Some consumers wish to avoid foods with genetically engineered ingredients, so food producers have increasingly responded to this market demand by labeling food products that do not contain them. There are many thousands of voluntarily labeled, non-GE foods available in grocery stores throughout the country, in stores as varied as Whole Foods Markets and Walmart. From just 2000 to 2009, nearly 7,000 new food and beverage products were introduced in the United States with explicit non-GE labeling. And those numbers continue to grow.

In addition, groups ranging from Greenpeace to the Organic Consumers Association to the Non-GMO Project have created websites, print pocket guides and even smart-phone apps that help shoppers identify 'GE-free' products. And certified organic foods may not be produced with genetically engineered ingredients. So, in cases where a 'GE-free'-labeled product is unavailable, shoppers can choose certified organic products instead. In short, consumers have at their disposal an abundance of information directing them to affirmatively labeled non-GE products and providing ample choice in the marketplace.

Countless scientific organizations agree that foods that contain GE ingredients are no less safe, no less nutritious and no less healthy than foods that do not. In fact, in some cases, GE ingredients have been shown to be safer, more nutritious or both, so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require blanket labeling of all GE ingredients. The FDA’s policy requires specific labeling if, and only if, the composition of those foods differs significantly from that of their conventional counterparts. Material differences would include, among other things, the introduction of an allergen that is not present in the new variety’s conventional counterpart, a reduction or increase in nutrients or even a change in the product’s taste, smell, texture or expected storage or preparation characteristics.

Most importantly, FDA policy requires that the change itself must be identified on labels, not the breeding method used. After all, if you want to alert consumers to the presence of a potential allergen, or to a tomato that contains more or less vitamin C, saying only that genetic engineering was used to develop the plant or animal variety conveys no useful information. Many consumers are unaware of the FDA’s current labeling policy. But when they are told about it, one finds broad support. In a series of polls commissioned by the International Food Information Council, respondents were first read a summary of the FDA policy and then asked their opinion. In every one of the 17 surveys, conducted between 1997 and 2013, a majority of respondents agreed with the FDA’s approach.

Some GE labeling advocates say they have a right to know what’s in their food. But genetic engineering is not a thing that’s in the food. It is simply one of many breeding methods used to modify plants and animals at the genetic level. The very purpose of all breeding is to modify an organism’s genetic composition and expression, in turn changing the food product’s characteristics. So, even if consumers have a right to know what’s in their food, the FDA’s current policy is better at supplying that information than a label simply saying “Genetically Engineered.”

Cathleen Enright, executive director of the Council for Biotechnology Information, also addressed the topic of labeling. The response is available here, and an excerpt is included below.

We absolutely do support the right of consumers to choose food that is healthy and nutritious.  And although we do not sell food products directly to consumers, we support food companies’ decisions to voluntarily label food products for the presence or absence of GMOs, so consumers who wish to can choose food that is not made with GM ingredients. Some companies have opted to use voluntary labels, such as “USDA Organic."

We do 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.  But there has never been any evidence linking a food-safety or health risk to the consumption of GM foods. There are hundreds of independent studies that demonstrate this (check out independent studies at Biofortified), in addition to the determinations from scientific and regulatory authorities around the world that GM foods on the market are as safe and nutritious as their non-GM counterparts (see FDA information here). 

As believers in GM technology, and having seen the benefits nurture farmers and society alike [check out GMOs and the Future of Agriculture], the harm comes from a label that conveys to consumers that food made from farmers’ crops grown with our seeds is somehow less safe or nutritious than, or somehow different from, conventional or organic food. This is simply not the case. We believe a government requirement to label a food “GM” would do just this. A recent study conducted by an MIT professor supports this view [see "Policy and Inference: The Case of Product Labeling"].

If you have additional questions, please ask.