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As consumers, we’ve come to expect nutrition information on our packaged foods. Organic foods are labeled. And many grocers are beginning to list the origins of produce. But in the U.S., there are no rules governing the disclosure of genetically modified foods.
Most genetically modified food originate from crop plants who’s DNA has been engineered to ward off insects, tolerate herbicides, or resist disease. In a little over two decades, they’ve gone from a novelty to the norm.
America is currently the largest producer of genetically modified crops. They account for 88 percent of our corn, 94 percent of our soybeans, and 90 percent of our cotton. Much of this bounty is used as animal feed or in processed foods—from sodas and salad dressing to cereals and infant formula.
Next time you go shopping, look in your cart. If packaged foods contain corn syrup, cotton seed oil, or soybean oil—and they are not labeled GMO-free— it’s likely they contain modified ingredients. And scientists are still debating the merits of modified foods.
The Center for Food Safety recently petitioned the FDA to begin mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods, gathering more than 1.1 million signatures. But the real game-changer may come out of California.
This month, its citizens will be able to vote on the “Right to Know” Genetically Engineered Food Act of 2012. If passed, it could reshape consumer awareness and the face of American agriculture.
Given that a 2010 Reuters poll found that 90% of the American public would like see genetically modified foods labeled, the passage of this act would be a step in the right direction.
Web Link
U.S.D.A. data: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/BiotechCrops/adoption.htm
Photo, taken on July 22, 2011, courtesy of Sean MacEntee via Flickr.