Can We No Longer Trust The Labels On Our Food?
Our Federal Food and Drug Administration ( I have heard people refer to them as the “fraud and deception agency”) has denied requests to mandate labeling, saying there is no evidence of the GMO foods/ products being unsafe. But many of us are begging the question, if there is no public threat, then what is the harm in labeling it as such? And why are so many companies battling against the labeling of food that has GMO? Here’s a small list of the companies that have publicly admitted they oppose labeling for GMO: PepsiCo, Sunny Delight Beverages, Mars, General Mills, Hormel, Healthy Choice and J.M. Smucker Co.
Even if the FDA allows the food industry to continue to use genetically engineered ingredients, that doesn’t mean that we have to eat them if we dont want to. But we need a mandate on labeling so we know what foods have GMO. Many states are considering legislation that would require labeling of all GMO foods/products. But, such requirements should be issued by the FDA on a national scale, not piecemeal by individual states.
While the effectiveness and safety of GMO foods is still being debated, the public must get involved and not cocede the outcome to a small number of profit-driven biotechnology corporations, scientists, and federal officials.
The premarket notification must include the developer’s determination that food from, containing, or consisting of the GMO (GMO food) is as safe as a comparable non-GMO food. For the GMO to be sold as food, the FDA must not object to the developer’s determination. If the FDA determines that there is a material difference between a GMO food and a comparable non-GMO food, the FDA can specify labeling that informs consumers of the difference.
A food label can only claim that a food is non-GMO if the ingredients are subject to certain supply chain process controls. No food label can suggest that non-GMO foods are safer than GMO foods. A food can be labeled as non-GMO even if it is produced with a GMO processing aid or enzyme or derived from animals fed GMO feed or given GMO drugs.
