Without labeling, all the Americans who prefer GMOs are not able to find and support them easily. So then why are you spending millions of dollars to campaign against labeling?

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Thursday, 24/10/2013 01:01

Labeling is a popular topic. Several questions have been answered that address labeling.

Please review the following responses:

• If biotech industry leaders are scientifically confident that GMOs are 100% safe, why is the biotech industry spending millions of dollars to campaign against the American people who want the GMOs they buy labeled?
• Why do you spend millions of dollars opposing GMO labeling? Aren't you proud of your products? Please don't give the excuse that it will cost consumers more for labeling either - you have raised your seed prices over 230%.

An excerpt from a response by David Schmidt, president and CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, reads:

"Activists and elements of the organic and natural-food industries are spending millions of dollars to stigmatize conventional and biotech foods in order to promote their niche products, which are generally sold to consumers at a higher price.  In essence, they are creating fear with unproven, outlandish allegations in order to get unsuspecting consumers to avoid affordable, safe and wholesome foods, in hopes that they can sell you their niche product at a higher price and profit for them.  If regulators allowed this to happen with biotechnology, there could be no end to the types of safe food and agriculture technologies that could be unfairly banned or stigmatized by false accusations and innuendo, rather than scientific consensus.  The success of American commerce, admired around the world, is a level playing field based on facts and fairness, and our regulators help ensure that remains constant."

An excerpt from a response by Cathleen Enright, executive director of the Council for Biotechnology Information, reads:

"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.  We believe the harm in mandating labeling for GM food just because it is a GM food is that such a label would convey to consumers that foods made from the farmers' crops grown with our seeds are less safe than, less nutritious than or somehow different from conventional or organic food."

If you feel that your question has not been answered in this response, or if you have additional questions, please ask here.