This spring, Vermont passed a law requiring any food that includes genetically engineered ingredients – otherwise known as “GMOs” for “genetically modified organisms” – to carry a label. Vermont is the first state to pass such a law, but it likely won’t be the last. Proponents of the laws claim that the labels will lead to “informed consumers” making “better choices” about the foods they are eating. That sounds laudable. So what information will consumers actually find on the labels?
Will the labels inform you that approximately 80 percent of foods on grocery store shelves contain genetically engineered varieties of corn, soybeans and other fruits and vegetables? Will the labels point out that humans have been “genetically modifying” foods for centuries? Will the labels tell you that farmers have rapidly adopted these engineered varieties because they are easier to grow and keep healthy in the field?
No, the labels won’t include any of these facts about GMOs. In fact, the labels won’t convey any actual information at all – just an intimidating warning that the product contains GMOs. So what’s their real purpose? The activists’ long-term strategy is to achieve an outright ban on GMOs.
The anti-GMO fear-mongering is not based on science, but on the dogma that man should not “play God” by trying to improve nature – and that if he does, his hubris will lead ultimately to disaster. But there’s no evidence of this pending disaster, so activists have resorted to fear tactics and the strong arm of the government to drive people to reject a successful technology and the foods improved with it.
What really needs a warning label is the anti-GMO activists’ toxic, anti-technology stance. They pose an actual threat to people’s health.
Read the full, original article: What GMO labels really tell us
