In the US Obama signed a bill to require GM labelling on foods. This was in 2016 and the USDA have two years to work out what type of GM products will
be declared, how the labelling is applied, and which businesses will be mandated etc. Small businesses (under $1,000,000 sales annually) will be
exempt, as will restaurants, and some corn syrup, or so it appears from this interesting article
modernfarmer.com...
I made some comments in another thread about GM food but didn’t want to derail it so decided to make this topic.
Here in the UK, food is heavily regulated from farm, to factory, to point of sale. Many additives, methods of production, and chemicals which are used
in the US are banned in the UK and EU, Nanny state maybe, but compare the difference between McDonald’s fries bought in the EU to those sold in the
US. From being harvested to becoming fries here the potatoes share two other ingredients, cooking oil and salt. In the US the multiple additives are
shocking, there are 19 ingredients!
That said, McDonald’s in the US are required to declare their additives, and they do, unashamedly on their website, so if you are stupid enough to
eat US McD fries then you get what you deserve as far as I’m concerned. But I digress.
So on to GM food. Here in the UK there is zero commercial growing of GM crops but lots are imported for bio-fuel and animal feed. A minimal percentage
of our food on sale for human consumption is derived from GM produce (compared to around 75% in US), this is mainly low grade cooking oil, cheap
breakfast cereal products, and imported sweet/candy US products like Twinkies.
All food sold in the UK, with GM plant or GM micro-organism ingredients such as yeast, is labelled on its package, or required to be stated on a menu
at restaurants etc, so that we, the people, get to choose.
So my question, do you support Obama’s GM food labelling law?
Is this government tyranny? A breach of business rights? Lefty lame limp wristed legislation?
Does anyone know what Trump thinks about GM labelling?
I’m sitting on the fence with this, it ain’t my country so you guys do what you will, I’m just happy that my nation is not the testing ground
for GM food and I will probably choose it in twenty years or so if it seems there are no long term affects. I’m not even saying there are any risks,
just I don’t know, so for as long as I have the option to choose non GM I will.
I am genuinely curious if this is an issue to US members though, and I probably won’t have much more to add myself so I’ve put in the mud-pit for
the more lively discussion I usually enjoy reading between US members.
...oh and before anyone says it, of course the only food you can trust is the food you raise yourself, so if you wanna be smug about your homestead or
farm I'm pleased for you genuinely, but the overwhelming majority of people do not have that luxury.
edit on 19-1-2018 by CornishCeltGuy
because: fix link thing