It’s no surprise that consumers want transparency when it comes to their food. But manufacturers and big companies have done every thing in their power to lobby against it, and keep you in the dark. In fact, most people don’t even know what a GMO is, or why they should care.
For the first time, the U.S Senate approved legislation this past Thursday that would require all food labels to list ingredients that have been modified. ( Go here to learn about what a GMO is and why you absolutely need to care) The Senate voted 63-30 and the new labeling system would require companies to label with words, pictures or a bar code that can be used with a smart phone.
“This bipartisan bill ensures that consumers and families throughout the United States will have access, for the first time ever, to information about their food through a mandatory, nationwide label for food products with GMOs,” Senator Debbie Stabenow said in a statement.
Surprisingly, a nationwide standard is favored by most food companies because state-by-sate differences would inflate labeling costs and distribution, however labeling of any kind is still seen as a record loss for frankenfood manufacturers because they have spent years, and millions of dollars lobbying against it.
While some farmers praise the new law, others fear that labeling will stigmatize the crops that grow GMO’s, which could hurt demand for food with the grown ingredients.
I for one think that is exactly the point. Big Food, or frankenfood doesn’t belong in our food system, period. However, consumers have the right to know what they are eating, and the choice is there. Most don’t even know what a GMO is or that it’s in the chips, crackers, ketchup, milk, oil……pretty much everything they are eating.
Unfortunately with all things coming from the government, the new legislation is not perfect and contains loopholes. Beet sugar, soybean oil and corn may be excluded. But we all know, those three ingredients are the foundation of everything on the shelf.
Ninety percent of all corn, soybean and beet sugar crops are produced from GMO seeds, and therefore are all contaminated unless otherwise stated. The worst part is, the U.S market is the most demanding of GMO foods, mainly because other countries won’t allow it, so as long as the demand is high, so will the production of GMO’s.
Despite the fact that the bill has many loop holes and isn’t perfect, it is at least a start in the right direction. People have a right to know what they are feeding their kids, not to mention have a better understanding of why their health is deteriorating. This shows that people are starting to take notice and the more Americans become aware, and it becomes a buzz, manufacturers will be forced to rise above it, and hopefully eliminate. Watch out Monsanto, your days are numbered.
All manufactured food should be labelled. Period.
Daphne
Agreed!