GMO Labeling: A Path Toward Food Transparency
Imagine being transported back in time to 1955. Inside a family run grocery store, there are isles of canned vegetables and soups. Even more shelves were lined with multicolored boxed cereals, bottles of soda pop, and various soaps. As creative as each product’s label appeared, none of them contained nutritional information, ingredient lists, or allergy warnings. A consumer had little more than their own taste buds to guide them toward the best products for their family. They couldn’t make decisions based on fat, sugar, or calorie content. A customer had no ability to know if an item had artificial flavors, dyes, or allergens like peanuts or wheat. Additionally, once highly …show more content…
Fundamentally, genetically modified organisms are foods that would never occur through natural cross breeding. It takes a genetic laboratory to splice foreign genes into a plant or animal to create a new trait or traits that could never occur in nature on its own. This type of gene splicing can introduce plant produced pesticides as well as an interspecies transfer of genetic traits from organisms such as bacteria, insects, or animals. A genetically modified tomato, for example, has been spliced with an anti-freeze gene from an arctic fish to improve frost resistance (GMO Processes, np). Nature has an inherent barrier to these types of combinations that science must forcefully supersede in order to create a new genetically combined organism. Although safety studies have been done, the longest running study of the effects of GMO has been 90 days (de Vendômois et al., np ). Such a short term study eliminates any ability to identify detrimental health effects that may develop over time. The effects of pesticides sprayed onto our foods have long been understood. However, the ramification of a pesticide introduced genetically into corn of which there is no ability of rinse off remains …show more content…
Because the long term health consequences cannot yet be determined, there exists a need for consumers to be fully aware of the origin of the food they are eating. Additionally, Labeling is neither costly to manufactures, nor does it unjustly cause consumer prejudice. A label is just information. It is up to the consumer how it weighs the importance of that information. Humans begin to be exposed to genetically altered foods in their infancy with soy based formulas. The long term health effects of accumulated exposure to these GMO products throughout a childs growth into adulthood is yet unknown. Therefore, it is urgent that people are provided with the knowledge through labeling so that they can make informed decisions about their healh. Concerned citizens can not only help through discussion and spreading information about GMO labeling to their friends and family, but they could also help greatly by contacting their state Congressmen and Senators to convey their wish for national labeling of GMO
Imagine being transported back in time to 1955. Inside a family run grocery store, there are isles of canned vegetables and soups. Even more shelves were lined with multicolored boxed cereals, bottles of soda pop, and various soaps. As creative as each product’s label appeared, none of them contained nutritional information, ingredient lists, or allergy warnings. A consumer had little more than their own taste buds to guide them toward the best products for their family. They couldn’t make decisions based on fat, sugar, or calorie content. A customer had no ability to know if an item had artificial flavors, dyes, or allergens like peanuts or wheat. Additionally, once highly …show more content…
Fundamentally, genetically modified organisms are foods that would never occur through natural cross breeding. It takes a genetic laboratory to splice foreign genes into a plant or animal to create a new trait or traits that could never occur in nature on its own. This type of gene splicing can introduce plant produced pesticides as well as an interspecies transfer of genetic traits from organisms such as bacteria, insects, or animals. A genetically modified tomato, for example, has been spliced with an anti-freeze gene from an arctic fish to improve frost resistance (GMO Processes, np). Nature has an inherent barrier to these types of combinations that science must forcefully supersede in order to create a new genetically combined organism. Although safety studies have been done, the longest running study of the effects of GMO has been 90 days (de Vendômois et al., np ). Such a short term study eliminates any ability to identify detrimental health effects that may develop over time. The effects of pesticides sprayed onto our foods have long been understood. However, the ramification of a pesticide introduced genetically into corn of which there is no ability of rinse off remains …show more content…
Because the long term health consequences cannot yet be determined, there exists a need for consumers to be fully aware of the origin of the food they are eating. Additionally, Labeling is neither costly to manufactures, nor does it unjustly cause consumer prejudice. A label is just information. It is up to the consumer how it weighs the importance of that information. Humans begin to be exposed to genetically altered foods in their infancy with soy based formulas. The long term health effects of accumulated exposure to these GMO products throughout a childs growth into adulthood is yet unknown. Therefore, it is urgent that people are provided with the knowledge through labeling so that they can make informed decisions about their healh. Concerned citizens can not only help through discussion and spreading information about GMO labeling to their friends and family, but they could also help greatly by contacting their state Congressmen and Senators to convey their wish for national labeling of GMO