Genetically Modified Food Labeling: A "Right to Know"
For decades, small organic farmers, environmentalists, and consumer advocates have claimed the "right to know" what is in our food. They have expressed particular dismay that food labels fail to disclose that a product is or contains ingredients from genetically modified organisms. In such organisms, the genetic material "has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. allowing selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another." But large agribusiness has opposed labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) just as fiercely. What could be wrong with transparency and disclosure? The answer is that there exists a scientific consensus that genetically modified foods are safe for human consumption. Potential benefits of genetically modified crops include development of disease and drought resistance crops, decreased use of pesticides, more nutritious and tastier food, and food with longer shelf life. The benefits of GMO products are important in highly developed countries like the United States, but in lower income countries whose people experience food insecurity sometimes famine it can be a matter of life or death. Consider "golden rice," genetically modified to be enriched with vitamin A. This food has the potential to benefit poor African and Southeast Asian communities where rice is a dietary staple, but vitamin A deficient children suffer from preventable blindness. A recent flashpoint in the battle over GMO labeling occurred after Vermont enacted a tough GMO labeling mandate, with food companies threatening to stop selling their products in the state, rather than comply. The Vermont law pushed Congress to pass the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, signed by President Obama on July 29. The law preempts (supersedes) all state GMO disclosure laws, setting a uniform national labeling standard. But it didn't seem like a win for the Environmental Working Group and other consumer advocates. The federal law gives food companies considerable flexibility in identifying GMO ingredients: on package text, a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved symbol, or a Quick Response (QR) code (a barcode) The QR code option makes it hard for consumers to acquire the information, especially if they don't have a smartphone or reliable Internet access. In other words, a law designed to advance transparency actually enabled opaqueness.
JAMA