Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Why Aren't G.M.O Foods Labeled?
Title: Why Aren't G.M.O Foods Labeled? Author: Mark Bittman Publication Date: February 15, 2011 Link:http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/why-arent-g-m-o-foods-labeled/?ref=geneticallymodifiedfood Summary: The F.D.A and the U.S.D.A will not require any food to be labeled as a G.M.O because they do not want to imply that these foods are different than the non-genetically modified food. A good variety of people are not very keen on the amount of G.M.O's used in their food which is the reason they will not be labeled. All of Europe has strict policies on G.M.O's there allowance for G.M.O's in their foods are low; around .9% of G.M.O in food must be labeled. This is making an influence on people in the U.S. to not buy foods that are said to be genetically modified. However, another reason people do not trust genetically modified food is because their potential to cause allergic reasctions to poeple and the transfer to humans of antibiotic-resistant properties of G.M.O's have not come to pass. Graphic: I thought this image would be a good example of how easy it is to label a product that is genetically modified. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/GM%2520label.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.treehugger.com/2007/10/14-week/&usg=__rpkjhTeOutSJxQFgOpn3R-j9L3o=&h=332&w=500&sz=70&hl=en&start=0&sig2=HLSahgXODQg2Qo1I0nXLhQ&zoom=1&tbnid=hgK5A56e2ll6xM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=173&ei=wlSiTea1DMPIgQfw1IzaBQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3DG.M.O%2Blabels%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D528%26gbv%3D2%26tbm3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=115&vpy=194&dur=5162&hovh=183&hovw=276&tx=184&ty=118&oei=wlSiTea1DMPIgQfw1IzaBQ&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0 Opinion: I think that G.M.O foods should be labeled. The picture above shows a simple way of adding that the food is genetically modified by putting it in the ingredients part on the product. It also does not attract a lot of people from seeing it unless they decide to read the ingredients. It is important for people to know what has been done to their food. By labeling G.M.O products it gives the people their choice to decide if they want to eat genetically modified food. I know that when my mom goes to the super market and gets fruits like strawberries, she looks for the box that has the biggest and reddest strawberries. Genetically modified foods grow faster and bigger than non-G.M.O products, so I could have been eating genetically modified strawberries but I have no way of actually knowing if I did or not. I would like to know the amount of genetically modified foods I have eaten. Questions: 1) Would you buy a product that has been labeled as genetically modified? 2) Do you think the F.D.A and U.S.D.A are doing the right thing by not permitting G.M.O products to be labeled? 3) Do you feel comfortable buying products that could be genetically modified but have no way of knowing if they are?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Opinion: I agree. I think that foods should be labeled so curious people like me can look at it and think, “’I’m eating food of the future.” I also think I’ve been to food stores enough times to say that people never look in the ingredients before buying food. Now there are some people that do look at them for medical reasons or dietary reasons, but in general for the most part, they don’t. Besides, labeling the GMO’ed crops would only scare off people that know what a GMO is. And if they are scared off, they’ll just buy one that is regular. So really, nobody is losing. The only bad part is the debate on foods without nutrition labels, such as raw crops like tomatoes, corn, apples that are on the shelves, would they be labeled? Companies that distribute those crops would have to charge the store more for labeling the crop with a sticker, “GMO.” I remember my science teacher last year saying something like that.
ReplyDelete1) Yes.
2) Not really, but it doesn’t really matter either. I’m a person who can understand two sides most of the time, and really see why there’s a debate
3) Yeah, I’m fine with it. As long as it’s edible, it’s good!
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting issue. I think that all food with GMO's should be labeled. However, like Annette said, it does not have to have a huge colorful label on the front that says "THERE ARE GMO'S IN THIS." I don't see what is so wrong about putting it in the ingredients section. People have a right to know what they are eating. If a certain person is allergic to a certain anti-biotic, they should be warned that the food they're eating was made with it. I also think that food companies should label their foods because they could get sued for this reason. I have probably been eating foods with GMO's my entire life, and not have even known it, like Annette said.
Questions I ask:
1. Are there any laws to GMO labeling?
2. Have there ever been any problems with labeling? (i.e, allergic reaction...)
Answers to Questions:
1. Yes. Like I said, I have no problem with GMOs.
2. No. As I explained earlier, I think GMO products should be labeled.
3. Yes. As long as it's actually food (like Charles said)
Graphic:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://foodfreedom.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/gm-label.jpg&imgrefurl=https://coto2.wordpress.com/tag/gmo-label/&usg=__PDsvhqBTIhBImf03Y_ppQ5eOy6E=&h=180&w=300&sz=13&hl=en&start=0&sig2=GYdpAisBy6w2VgtiGVgJkA&zoom=1&tbnid=6aDewymaMRMu6M:&tbnh=134&tbnw=223&ei=mxmmTe7MN-240QG5w4jeCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgmo%2Blabels%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1045%26bih%3D484%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=766&vpy=233&dur=225&hovh=144&hovw=240&tx=65&ty=94&oei=mxmmTe7MN-240QG5w4jeCA&page=1&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0
This picture is just like Annette's, but it's another good example of labeling on a GMO product.
I think that this is yet another controversial issue about agriculture and farming. If we do label the GMO foods, we will lose customers, but if we do not they will keep buying the GMO foods going unnoticed. This is a very decision to make and the first part to solving this is educating the customers. By telling them what takes place in genetic modification, the customers will know what is being put in their food and the potential consequences on other animals. With that knowledge, customers would be able to decide whether or not they wanted to continue eating GMO foods or switch to organic foods. The way that this issue relates to me is that I eat corn about twice a week. If my corn is a GMO food, which I am not sure of, than I could be at risk of becoming sick or unhealthy. Ultimately, something needs to be done quickly and efficiently that will make a compromise for both sides so that both organic eaters and regular eaters will meet ends.
ReplyDeleteExpansion: http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/seminar/2004/GMevents/NH/Debate.html This is a great link that shows the pros and cons of GMO food labeling and recent surveys that were conducted to see if people wanted labeled GMO food.
Questions Answers
(Answer to #1): Yes
(Answer to #2) No, I think they should label GMO foods. The more people educated, the better. If there are people who do not want to eat genetically modified food than they can continue to eat organic food. The people have a choice: they can either continue to eat genetically modified food regardless if it is labeled or not or they can walk away from GMO food and turn to organic after labeling.
3 Questions
1. What are some of the consequences of labeling genetically modified food?
2. If conventional farming can produce the same food as quickly and simply, then why don’t we use that instead of genetical modification?
3. Why are some people going to be afraid if GMO foods are labeled and what will they be afraid of?
Opinion: I think that this is a very controversial topic. I agree with Annette that these types of labels should be on the food's nutrition facts. That would be good because that way I could look specifically for that label rather than it being advertised right to my face. This relates to my personal life because since GMO's are relatively new and we do not know the affects of them yet I would like to know what I am eating. However if we find out that there are no negative affects from consuming GMO's I do not think that these labels will be necessary. I think that if these are proven to be safe the U.S.D.A. and the F.D.A do not have to require the labels on the food. If company's put the GMO label on the front of the package I think that it would prevent many people from buying that product, which is very bad. I hope that in the future GMO's are proven safe and these labels are not required at all!
ReplyDeleteAnswers to Questions:
1) I would MOST LIKELY buy a product that has been genetically modified because I personally do not think that there would be any affects on my body or life expectancy, and it would help the economy.
2) I see the benefit and the disadvantage of the FDA and USDA's decision. I think that if the label was pointed out then it would be bad. However, If it was placed in the nutrition facts I think that this would be a good thing.
3) Yes I am okay with it because I support the use of GMO's and I think that they have a lot of potential.
My Questions:
1) How many things have I eaten with GMO's?
2) Are there any known affects of consuming GMO's?
3) What percent of today's food has GMO's in them?
Expansion:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/genetically-engineered-food-labeling-fight-.html
This article shows more about the argument of GMO labeling.