You have answered, very thoroughly, your reasons for opposing labeling GMO products. You also acknowledge that people have some strong feelings about consuming them. For whatever good or bad reason, some people prefer to avoid them. My question: you understand why people are upset, right?

Expert response from Cathleen Enright

Former Executive Director of the Council for Biotechnology Information

Wednesday, 14/08/2013 14:35

I do.  For far too long, we¹ve let peoples¹ questions and concerns about GMOs go unanswered.  That negligence has resulted in a lot of the apprehension the public is expressing today.  So here we are, late to the conversation, but resolute in our commitment to choice. 

There are a number of reasons consumers may prefer to purchase non-GMO--Many of those reasons have been expressed on this website, but concern about food safety or health shouldn¹t be one of them.  This is why we support voluntary, marketing labels for those companies who want to distinguish their non-GM food from their GM food, and so their customers have a choice.  We will continue to highlight available non-GMO labels here, e.g., USDA organic and other non GM private label programs.  Our support for choice is also a major factor in why we are providing information and answering questions about GMOs.  We want consumers to have the facts, so they can make up their own minds.