Labeling GM Foods

GM stands for genetic modification, a process that artificially inserts foreign genes into the DNA of food crops and animals, with the intent to increase nutritional benefits or productivity. GM foods have been on the increase in America's food supply since 1996 and do not currently require FDA safety testing or labeling. This remains a controversial topic among consumers and producers.

Considerations

It is estimated that 85 percent of corn, 91 percent of soybeans, 80 to 85 percent of canola, 88 percent of cottonseed and 90 percent of sugar beets grown in the U.S. are genetically modified. Processed foods can often have hidden GM ingredients in the form of additives, enzymes and flavorings. The average consumer could probably not identify the source of some of the most common ingredients listed on the box of their favorite crackers or cookies, but many of these things, such as lecithin, sorbitol and triglyceride, are likely to be derived from GM soy, corn, canola, cottonseed or sugar beets. GM foods have steadily entered the market, integrating themselves into the American diet. For some that just means there is more food for more people. For others, navigating the grocery store aisles has taken on a heightened sense of suspicion; if I don't trust GM products, how will I identify and avoid them?

Identification

While a large sector of the American food industry has used power, politics and money to skirt the issue of safety and the labeling of GM foods, there are also grass-roots efforts by those opposed and seeking to expose GM foods. A number of companies in the natural foods industry established the Non-GMO Project, which created an industry-wide consensus-based set of standards that involves a third-party verification process when testing for GMO content. "Non-GMO" seals are issued to companies who fully comply with the protocols of this projects. These voluntary labels assure consumers that the product contains no genetically modified organisms. Products labeled "100% organic," "organic" or "made with organic ingredients" are not allowed to be produced from GMOs as well. So while there is no currently established Non-GMO label, the conscious consumer can readily gain the information she needs to identify food products safe of GM ingredients.

Significance

GM foods have been banned by food manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere. Most American consumers say that they would not eat GM foods if they were labeled. Many feel that it was in the interest of the economy that GM foods were pushed onto the market so soon. Fears of dangerous side effects are high, because the current GM technology is based on antiquated ideas and theory.

Warning

GM foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, creating damage to virtually all the organs of studied lab animals. GM foods have also been attributed to sick, sterile and dead livestock. Although results on humans are not being studied, opponents to GMOs theorize that they are directly related to an increase in food allergies and sickness.

Prevention/Solution

Because the FDA does not require safety studies, the makers of GM foods can claim that their products are safe and the agency will ask no further questions. It may be decades before the results of this now-human experiment are known, so many feel that it should be the consumers' immediate right to know what is in the products they are buying.