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Answers

Question

why do we not label GMOs?

Submitted by: msloh134vs


Answer

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Monday, 28/04/2014 20:23

Several experts have addressed this question on GMO Answers. Greg Conko, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, discusses consumer choice and how food producers and retailers are labeling non-GMO products in this response. Here is an excerpt:

“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.”

Jennie Schmidt, a farmer and registered dietician, explains the potential logistical impacts of GMO labeling on farms and farm-product distribution in her blog post “The Costs of GMO Labeling.”