- I’ve talked a lot about GMOs in these batches of links. (Here’s a refresher on what is and isn’t true about GMOs.) A friend sent me an article about GMO labelling (a long time ago, true, but I’m only now getting around to posting these things!). While I’ve always been pro-GMO labelling and couldn’t understand why anyone would be against it, this nuanced article is making me reconsider my position. It turns out that there would indeed be real downsides to labelling items that contain GMOs – if we could even agree on what to label – and one should also keep in mind that non-GMOs are usually labelled as such, so people who wish to avoid them can already do so. (There’s also the Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help.)
- Here are 10 things that would fix the food system faster than GMO labelling, actually.
- While we’re at it: 5 things to stop arguing in the GMO debate.
- Vermont recently required manufacturers to label products containing GMOs, but was promptly sued by four different organizations – on the grounds that it interfered with their right to the First Amendment, of all things.
- And just recently, I read that there is no scientific consensus on GMO safety. But then again, we don’t even know the levels of pesticide residue on our food, due to poor government testing. That’s not reassuring, and actually worries me more than GMOs. I wish more money were invested in that area!
- That being said, the USDA has approved new GM potatoes. Their DNA has been altered so that they produce less of a specific carcinogen when fried, and they also bruise less than traditional potatoes, meaning fewer will be wasted before reaching our kitchens. These sound like good improvements, really. This article gives more information on how they were created (they are cisgenic, if that makes anyone feel better).
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