Agricultural News
CEI Director Examines Labeling for Genetically-Modified Foods
Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:43:58 CDT
Gregory Conko, executive director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, published the following editorial:
Labeling advocates say consumers have a right to know what's in their food. But genetic engineering is just a breeding method - it's not something that's in the food.
The Food and Drug Administration's labeling policy requires food companies to note on package labels anytime a material change in nutrition or safety has been made - this applies equally to GE and other breeding methods. So, in that regard, FDA's current policy is better tailored to supplying the information labeling advocates say they want.Ironically, there are several other breeding methods that are known to be riskier than genetic engineering, but labeling advocates aren't interested in labeling of foods developed with those methods.
Public support for labeling appears to be broad - generally gets around 90% favorable responses in surveys. But support drops significantly in surveys that first tell respondents about FDA's current labeling policy. If you tell people about FDA's policy, majorities say they favor that over mandatory labeling.
Consumers have a right to ask food companies for information about breeding methods, including the use of GE, and the right not to buy products from suppliers who don't provide the information. There are currently tens of thousands of products on the market explicitly labeled as "non-GE". And several different activist groups distribute shopping guides and smart phone apps to help guide consumers to non-GE products. So, the marketplace has already supplied the choice labeling activists say they want.
Federal courts have held that government cannot force food producers to put information on their labels that do not bear a reasonable relationship to health or safety or another compelling governmental interest. And they've held that requiring labels on GE foods simply because some consumers want to know is unconstitutional. State GE labeling laws are also preempted by the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
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