Constantly in today’s media, advertisements, commercials, and everyday discussion we hear, “no artificial flavors,” “GMO free,” “organic and all natural.” But, do we really know what any of this means? GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, is “food that consists of, contains or is produced from an organism or organism in which the genetic material has been changed through cell fusion or in-vitro nucleic acid techniques” (“GMO Labeling”). Most Americans don’t realize it, but 70% of processed foods actually contain some form of an altered organism (“Editors, The”). The process has expanded and improved over time and is an every day process in the food industry. It begins by someone selecting a trait and then inserting this trait into an organism
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The alternative being products that are clearly labeled as “organic.” Sold in almost every grocery store, organic agriculture contains no genetically modified organisms, and is approved by the FDA. It isn’t surprising that the main supporters of the pro-labeling movements are in the organic industry. Attempting to persuade ignorant Americans, they instill fear and lies in order to mislead customers toward their pricey products. Founders of pro labeling groups such as, “Just Label it” and “Stonyfield Organic,” are the financial backers behind most organic movements. Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, stated on behalf of the organic industry, “We are going to force them to label this food. If we have it labeled, then we can organize people not to buy it” (Somerville, Mem). In other words, they attempt to steer Americans towards the organic industry by encouraging labels on all processed foods. This implies that food, other than organic products, are dangerous and unsafe. By accomplishing this they would greatly profit (Entine, Jon). As Nathanael Johnson, a writer for Grist, stated best, “Labeling would cause chaos in the food industry, raise prices, reward retailers who exploit the consumers gullibility and the anti-science wing of the organic industry with windfall profits and accomplish absolutely no good” (Entine, Jon). Furthermore, we mustn’t allow the organic industry to stomp over Americans who are unaware of what the pro-labelers are trying to obtain, which is profit. Rather than worrying about the well-being, and safety of citizens, they are concerned with money and promotion of organic agriculture. By leaving labels off of products, the organic industry has no power over Americans and those who choose to eat only “GMO free” have the option of eating organic as
The alternative being products that are clearly labeled as “organic.” Sold in almost every grocery store, organic agriculture contains no genetically modified organisms, and is approved by the FDA. It isn’t surprising that the main supporters of the pro-labeling movements are in the organic industry. Attempting to persuade ignorant Americans, they instill fear and lies in order to mislead customers toward their pricey products. Founders of pro labeling groups such as, “Just Label it” and “Stonyfield Organic,” are the financial backers behind most organic movements. Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, stated on behalf of the organic industry, “We are going to force them to label this food. If we have it labeled, then we can organize people not to buy it” (Somerville, Mem). In other words, they attempt to steer Americans towards the organic industry by encouraging labels on all processed foods. This implies that food, other than organic products, are dangerous and unsafe. By accomplishing this they would greatly profit (Entine, Jon). As Nathanael Johnson, a writer for Grist, stated best, “Labeling would cause chaos in the food industry, raise prices, reward retailers who exploit the consumers gullibility and the anti-science wing of the organic industry with windfall profits and accomplish absolutely no good” (Entine, Jon). Furthermore, we mustn’t allow the organic industry to stomp over Americans who are unaware of what the pro-labelers are trying to obtain, which is profit. Rather than worrying about the well-being, and safety of citizens, they are concerned with money and promotion of organic agriculture. By leaving labels off of products, the organic industry has no power over Americans and those who choose to eat only “GMO free” have the option of eating organic as