Should GMO ingredients be labeled as such on food products?
beemerphile1
Posts: 1,710 Member
There is a lot of debate about GMO food labeling.
Monsanto is the big player in this field and has been developing GMO plants that are not harmed by the herbicide glycophosphate (Roundup).
Some food producers are willing to label their products but have been bullied into not doing so. There is even a regulation in the works that could absolutely prohibit GMO labeling on foods.
Without getting into a debate as to the pro or con of GMOs, what would be the harm in allowing consumers to know what is in the product they buy? Currently the only way to be sure of avoiding GMOs is to buy foods carrying the Organic label.
Personally I believe in freedom of speech and freedom of information and believe the consumer has the right to decide what they buy based on knowing the ingredients.
What do you think? Label or no?
Monsanto is the big player in this field and has been developing GMO plants that are not harmed by the herbicide glycophosphate (Roundup).
Some food producers are willing to label their products but have been bullied into not doing so. There is even a regulation in the works that could absolutely prohibit GMO labeling on foods.
Without getting into a debate as to the pro or con of GMOs, what would be the harm in allowing consumers to know what is in the product they buy? Currently the only way to be sure of avoiding GMOs is to buy foods carrying the Organic label.
Personally I believe in freedom of speech and freedom of information and believe the consumer has the right to decide what they buy based on knowing the ingredients.
What do you think? Label or no?
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Replies
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It wouldn't bother me if they decided to label GMO food. I'm not terribly concerned with GMOs.0
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Nope.0
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I would be in favor of them being labeled.0
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RealFoodisGood wrote: »Yeah, I would feel comfortable with more labelling/info in general. Let the consumer decide rather than someone else deciding for them.
This. I wouldn't necessarily avoid an item that is gmo/doesn't have the new label, but it would be nice to have the information.0 -
IMO, it would just open up a can of worms. Say you hypothetically have label that states it's GMO free, then someone decides to sue because they believed some "ailment" they have got worsened and blames the product. Even though it may get resolved, the court costs and fees and defense would be high. Then you have a more pile on from other claimants. Cost of food to the consumer would go up. So does that really help the consumer?
If one is concerned about GMO's, then go buy organic.
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only reason to fight it is if you feel you will lose money because of it.0
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I don't really see the point. As others have said, if you're really concerned about it, buy organic. I think it will just become a ridiculous marketing theme, like how everything is labeled "gluten free" these days.
Also, isn't what is GMO kind of nebulous, in terms of definitions when it comes to food? Kind of like how "natural" and "organic" can mean different things. Like, say we label the Monsanto corn as GMO. Does that mean that butternut squash and other man-created foods need a GMO label since it is, technically, genetically modified?0 -
I don't see any need for GMO labeling.0
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nope- just going to make it worse. Even Bill Nye doesn't think GMO's are an issue. Or was that Neil?
Whatever- one of the way smarter than me people says it's a none issue- I'll trust them.0 -
If labeling GMO REALLY matters , then let's be consistent. Don't forget to label insects, droppings, mold, etc into the labels too. If people don't think that produced boxed or canned items don't have in them, they may get surprised today.
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No. I trust scientists.
The only reason why I could support it is I do like to keep native plants around. The more GMO is used, the more natural selection will cease to exist. Many native, naturally occurring plants that were created through evolution and not in a lab will become extinct at this rate.0 -
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RealFoodisGood wrote: »I don't really see the point. As others have said, if you're really concerned about it, buy organic. I think it will just become a ridiculous marketing theme, like how everything is labeled "gluten free" these days.
Also, isn't what is GMO kind of nebulous, in terms of definitions when it comes to food? Kind of like how "natural" and "organic" can mean different things. Like, say we label the Monsanto corn as GMO. Does that mean that butternut squash and other man-created foods need a GMO label since it is, technically, genetically modified?
This is a good point, actually. While I agree with labelling for the sake of information, nobody wants GMO to become the next gluten free.
Lots of companies advertise some real whole foods as gluten free for profits... and they never had gluten to begin with.
Even the whole idea of buying "organic" is a pretty big joke as well.
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ForStMicheal wrote: »only reason to fight it is if you feel you will lose money because of it.
Exactly.
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I think we need to start putting real lemons in our food and artificial lemons in bleach.0
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Consumers always have a right to make knowledgeable choices. I don't support mandatory labelling, but I also oppose mandatary not-labelling.0
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US requirements for "organic" labeling are very slack. Plus the idea of a banana being shipped 8,000 miles and getting an "organic" label makes a bit of a mockery of the whole concept.
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I believe that information is a good thing. I prefer to have as much information as possible so that I can make the decisions for myself and not have to rely on what other people "think" or "feel" about MY decisions.
"Organic" is not a 100% guarantee that something is GMO free. GMO crops put pollen into the air (as all crops do) and this pollen cross-breeds with organic feed, which pollutes and corrupts the organic farms. When the farmers save the seeds (as is the process for most organic farmers) they invariably end up with GMO ones also - this is why Monsanto is now suing farmers. They plant the GMO crop close by and then when their seeds infect the organic farms they blame the farmers. Regardless, whether GMO food is safe will not be determined until after people have eaten it consistently for 20 or more years which hasn't happened yet. As far as trusting people who say that it's perfectly harmless...they used to tell us that ingesting cocaine & heroine and smoking tobacco was perfectly harmless too. Labeling of GMO products in the marketplace is required in 64 countries so obviously there IS some cause for concern out there.
Besides the fact that whether or not it's harmless to humans is only HALF of the discussion on GMO. The other half involves the choice to support the industrial farming conglomerates by buying their products and the potential harm to the environment and other animals as well as the food chain on which everything relies.
"Risks to the food web are a very real ethical concern around GM technology. Any pesticide or herbicide from the crop could harm animals and other organisms in the environment. For example, GM sugar beets that were produced to be resistant to herbicides did successfully reduce weeds. However, Skylark birds that consume the seeds from this particular weed would now be required to find a new food source, thereby endangering their existence.
An animal could also consume the GM crop itself, which means that if the crop has been engineered to produce a pesticide, the animal may become ill and die. In one North American study, caterpillars of the monarch butterfly were killed when they fed on pollen from GM corn crops." http://www.geneticallymodifiedfoods.co.uk/ethical-concerns-gm-foods.html
I don't really care if people want to eat GMO - given that most Americans have no choice since it's in practically all of your food already - but it's not in ours yet, and I'd really like to continue to have the choice0 -
GMOs should be a great cause for concern. Did you realize that other countries will not accept US imports because of our country's pesticide and GMO practices? I think it raises a red flag that other countries severely restrict our crops because of the genetic modification. Our bodies were not made to digest corn and soybean that has been injected with chemicals that repel bugs and other pests. These toxic substances build up in our bodies and leads to eventual breakdown - i.e. the formation of auto-immune disorders, IBS, allergies and more. Monsanto's Roundup use has increased exponentially because its use has created super weeds and super bugs that are increasingly resistant to the very pesticides that were meant to eradicate them.
So, do I want food labeling so I know if I am getting GMOs? You bet. You can easily find studies online of the bT toxin detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. Do you really want our future generation's DNA altered negatively by these man-made toxins injected into our food supply? Decades ago, it was thought that mercury fillings were just fine to have in your mouth and now it is known to be bad. I anticipate in another few decades, the same will be believed (finally) by the public at large in regards to GMOs.0 -
I think they should be labeled because I think if you asked, most people would say they wanted them labeled. Information and freedom to choose are good things IMO.0
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rhtexasgal wrote: »GMOs should be a great cause for concern. Did you realize that other countries will not accept US imports because of our country's pesticide and GMO practices? I think it raises a red flag that other countries severely restrict our crops because of the genetic modification. Our bodies were not made to digest corn and soybean that has been injected with chemicals that repel bugs and other pests. These toxic substances build up in our bodies and leads to eventual breakdown - i.e. the formation of auto-immune disorders, IBS, allergies and more. Monsanto's Roundup use has increased exponentially because its use has created super weeds and super bugs that are increasingly resistant to the very pesticides that were meant to eradicate them.
So, do I want food labeling so I know if I am getting GMOs? You bet. You can easily find studies online of the bT toxin detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. Do you really want our future generation's DNA altered negatively by these man-made toxins injected into our food supply? Decades ago, it was thought that mercury fillings were just fine to have in your mouth and now it is known to be bad. I anticipate in another few decades, the same will be believed (finally) by the public at large in regards to GMOs.
Just curious, can you cite any peer-reviewed studies about GMOs building up in our bodies and causing auto-immune disorders?0 -
Dr (the wizard of) Oz says GMO should be labeled as such, so I will they shouldn't have to be,0
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rhtexasgal wrote: »GMOs should be a great cause for concern. Did you realize that other countries will not accept US imports because of our country's pesticide and GMO practices? I think it raises a red flag that other countries severely restrict our crops because of the genetic modification. Our bodies were not made to digest corn and soybean that has been injected with chemicals that repel bugs and other pests. These toxic substances build up in our bodies and leads to eventual breakdown - i.e. the formation of auto-immune disorders, IBS, allergies and more. Monsanto's Roundup use has increased exponentially because its use has created super weeds and super bugs that are increasingly resistant to the very pesticides that were meant to eradicate them.
So, do I want food labeling so I know if I am getting GMOs? You bet. You can easily find studies online of the bT toxin detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. Do you really want our future generation's DNA altered negatively by these man-made toxins injected into our food supply? Decades ago, it was thought that mercury fillings were just fine to have in your mouth and now it is known to be bad. I anticipate in another few decades, the same will be believed (finally) by the public at large in regards to GMOs.
Just curious, can you cite any peer-reviewed studies about GMOs building up in our bodies and causing auto-immune disorders?
No. No they cannot. They cannot because they don't exist.0 -
Here is a fun fact.
Every bite of corn ever taken by mankind is GMO.
Yup, corn was cultivated by the Mayans thousands of year ago from the grass, Teosinte - Zea parviglumis.
so just about every meat, ( corn feed ) meat product and everything you have ever eaten with corn syrup has been affected by GMO.
It's a little bit late to start worring about gmo labels. The die was cast long ago.
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Which by labeling, can mean a mark up because the average consumer would accept it.RealFoodisGood wrote: »I don't really see the point. As others have said, if you're really concerned about it, buy organic. I think it will just become a ridiculous marketing theme, like how everything is labeled "gluten free" these days.
Also, isn't what is GMO kind of nebulous, in terms of definitions when it comes to food? Kind of like how "natural" and "organic" can mean different things. Like, say we label the Monsanto corn as GMO. Does that mean that butternut squash and other man-created foods need a GMO label since it is, technically, genetically modified?
This is a good point, actually. While I agree with labelling for the sake of information, nobody wants GMO to become the next gluten free.
Lots of companies advertise some real whole foods as gluten free for profits... and they never had gluten to begin with.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Honestly, I truly doubt that unless every food is tested out there, you'd be hard pressed to find any that are TRULY GMO free. Just cause a label says it, may not mean it's true. And really how do you know unless you're well versed in testing it yourself. Like anything else on the market, you're trusting it's safe.
So let's make it easy if people want labeling. Just say everything is GMO.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Laurend224 wrote: »It wouldn't bother me if they decided to label GMO food. I'm not terribly concerned with GMOs.
This. Go ahead and label them for anyone who wants to know. I dont care either way, but see no issues with increased transparency.
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