As the debate about genetically modified foods rages on, some companies are looking to compromise with consumers who are pushing for strict labeling laws.
Genetically modified foods, or GMOs, have come into the spotlight in recent years as consumers demand more transparency when it comes to their foods. A grassroots movement has emerged of citizens collecting signatures to get mandatory GMO labeling laws on the books, though the votes have only been successful in Connecticut and Maine. Notably, ballot initiatives have failed in both California and Washington. However, they are still under consideration in several state legislatures. Despite some setbacks, those who are pro-labeling laws or simply anti-GMO are nothing if not aggressive and persistent.
While it is mainly food manufacturing companies that are standing in opposition of mandatory labeling laws, it seems that science is on their side. These engineered foods are lab-altered at the genetic level to give crops certain traits. Most often, they are genetically modified to resist pests or herbicides. As of yet, there is little in the way of scientific testing that points to these GMOs being dangerous for human consumption.
Concerns from farmers, manufacturers
Is progress being made in the GMO debate?
There are a handful of reasons that food manufacturing companies, farmers and non-profit organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest are resisting laws that mandate labeling of GMOs.
First is the cost of such a shift. According to the Agence France-Presse as much as 80 percent of food on American grocery store shelves contain genetically modified ingredients, many companies point to the fact that the movement is simply cost prohibitive. The labels of a vast majority of products would have to either be entirely redesigned or have custom decal stickers added to them.
Then, there is the issue of the implications that come with the labels. Groups like the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association, along with nearly 30 other farm and industry groups, believe the labels would lead consumers to believe that GMOs are unsafe for consumption, something that has not been proven by scientific testing, according to various non-profit companies.
The pro-GMO labeling movement is currently working on a state-by-state basis, another aspect of potential laws that has food manufactures worried.
“If each state had a different label requirement, our farmers just couldn’t adapt to that and really economically grow safe, affordable food,” Ray Gaesser, president of the American Soybean Association, told the AFP.
He added that new labeling laws – especially those that vary from state to state – would raise food prices by as much as 30 percent.
Attempts at a compromise
The ASA has teamed up with corn farmers, bakeries, restaurants, fisheries, animal feed operations and grocery store groups to form the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food.
“The group’s goals are to avoid unnecessary and confusing 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling laws,” Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, explained.
As a solution, the group is lobbying members of Congress to design a bill that would require the Food and Drug Administration to perform a safety review of any new GMOs that are intended to be sold to the public. Currently, the FDA has yet to find any safety issues with genetically engineered ingredients.
In addition, the FDA would create a voluntary label for foods containing GMOs that would take precedence over state laws, reported the Idaho State Journal.
FDA spokeswoman Theresa Eisenman pointed out that voluntary labeling is already an option, though the agency “recognizes and appreciates” interest from consumers on the matter.
“FDA has received citizen petitions regarding genetically engineered foods, including the labeling of such foods,” she told the State Journal. “The agency is currently considering those petitions and at this time has not made a decision, in whole or in part, regarding the petitions.”
