GM Food Needs Mandatory Labels, Food Producers Tell FDA

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Genetically engineered corn, soy and plant oil should be disclosed on mandatory food labels, a coalition of more than 350 producers, trade groups and consumers said in a petition to U.S. regulators.

The U.S. should require added disclosure even when a product containing a gene-altered organism is similar to foods that aren’t bioengineered, the groups said today in the petition to the Food and Drug Administration. Stonyfield Farm, the organic-yogurt maker owned by Danone SA, and Dean Foods Co.’s Horizon Organic are among the coalition members.

Well I am glad to see efforts by such a spread of consumers and business people to address this issue. Yes these items should be labeled and there is no doubt that most people want it too. So many other countries have banned the ingredients all together, and we are just asking for labeling, since we will most likely never be able to ban them here in the US, home of Monsanto.

Petitioners, led by the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, want to reverse a 1992 Food and Drug Administration policy that doesn’t require different labeling. Gene-altered seeds are used for almost 90 percent of U.S.-grown corn, 94 percent of soy and 90 percent of cottonseed, an oil-producing plant, the coalition said.

“Consumers ought to have the right to choose whether to be buying these foods,” said Gary Hirshberg, chief executive officer of Londonderry, New Hampshire-based Stonyfield Farm, in an interview. “Polls show a vast majority of Americans say they don’t want to eat genetically engineered foods.”

90+ percent, geez, is it too late to label, or even distinguish anymore? Will there come a point where the only way to get non-gmo food will be to special order it for mucho dinero?

Under current rules, foodmakers may voluntarily disclose whether a product has gene-altered ingredients, as long as the information is “truthful and not misleading,” said Siobhan DeLancey, an FDA spokeswoman, in an e-mail.

Mandatory labels for gene-altered products would mislead consumers “by falsely implying differences where none exist,” said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a Washington trade group.

“Consumers don’t want confusing debates about food politics,” said Greenwood in an e-mail. “Consumers want wholesome food at an affordable price. Agricultural biotechnology is one of the tools that ensures our food supply is affordable, reliable and safe.”

www.businessweek.com...

Hmm, sound like lobbying language and conflicted interest to me. Nah, consumers don't want to be bothered with facts, just keep it simple. "Falsely implying where none exist?" Umm, by definition there is a difference, much less the effects on organisms. I'm sure there is some good in this technology, but I just think the bad will not get much attention from the mainstream, and has not yet been determined enough as too how bad it can be, both for consumers and the natural environment.

Peace,
spec

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


As if the FDA will agree to this.
Everything would have the label.
All that aspartame which is in most crap these days?
Oh that's just the excreted waste of a genetically modified bacteria for you.

If the labels had been there from day one,no one would have bought the crap,and the industry would not have mushroomed.
Hence-No labels.

Sad or what-you have been experimented on.
For years.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse

Agreed, and I bet the claim of inability to distinguish gm from non gm will come from these guys, which was probably part of the plan to begin with. Too late to unmuddy the waters...