The "State" of GMO labeling

 I don't believe the fears of very outspoken consumers should dictate policy when those concerns are not backed up by science.   When it comes to GMOs there is NO scientific evidence to show GMOs are unsafe and we are talking about thousands of studies!  However fear has had its way and Vermont's GMO labeling law just went into effect.   This law meant products with GM ingredients needed to be labeled in that state, with the label coming off more as a warning than valuable information.  Since it was a state law and not federal you can imagine the headaches that the food industry was facing.  Catering to one state is not an easy logistical exercise.

So what happened when that law went into effect?  Here is a blog post I found from someone in Vermont:  https://www.biofortified.org/2016/07/gmo-labeling-vermont/

There will be a price to pay for such a knee jerk law by consumers.    I understand that there is a fear among a small portion of our society about GM foods   Just putting some law out there that does not really address the issue is a band aid and in my opinion irresponsible of our lawmakers.  Our lawmakers should look at the science themselves.  They are supposed to be our leaders.  They need help educate their communities instead of blindly agreeing to institute laws due to unfounded fear.  The answer is to educate to not give into the fears.

The impact of the Vermont law has obviously sparked some debate at the federal level.  We are talking about disruptions in the food chain due to the Vermont law and that is concerning.  The Senate just passed a bill 63-30 that would mandate a federal standard of labeling.  The labeling would give companies various ways to label foods containing GM ingredients including using a QR code on each product.  Consumers would scan the code to learn more about what is in the food.

I have a couple of opinions.  Of course the bill still has to pass the House and if approved signed by the President.   On one hand the a federal bill was needed and I am glad the government got involved.  A federal bill will preempt Vermont's law and other states who are also thinking about such laws.  It would be a nightmare to have 50 states have individual labeling laws. On the other hand labeling GM food in my mind is only good if it is not used in a discriminatory way.  A label that singles out GMOs gives the perception that it is unsafe.  If we we want to give consumers a label then that label should be completely transparent:  How much aflatoxin is in our food?  How many insect parts are in our food?  And yes, those things are in your food at certain levels deemed acceptable.  How much heavy metal contamination is on your organic food?

We will see how the story plays out.  No matter what happens we all need to be aware that labels are intended to give information and I am not against labels.  Inherently they are not a bad thing.  However as consumers we need to know how to use those labels.  Labels can be used for malevolent purposes.  A prime example is in this picture below.  See that Non-GMO label on a bottle of salt and even on a bottle of water.  Yep, a bottle of salt and water, neither of which  have genes.  This label is purely a marketing gimmick and my concern is these GMO labeling laws could be used to perpetuate this kind of marketing if we are not careful.

https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/08/24/non-gmo-salt-water-food-companies-exploit-gmo-free-labels-misleading-customers-promoting-misinformation/