“The debate over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is shrill and frequently lacking,” writes Parke Wilde, a Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Proponents on both sides of the debate are failing to separate two different issues: mandatory labeling of GMOs and safety of GMOs. Members of the GMO labeling movement claim they focus solely on labeling issues and do not address whether or not GMOs are safe, but, Wilde writes, they tend to support those who believe that GMOs are dangerous and should be banned.
The leading GMO labeling campaign, Just Label It, clearly is in favor of mandatory labeling. But the campaign tries to have it both ways when taking a stance on attitudes toward GMOs more generally. Sometimes it implicitly endorses the fear-mongering anti-GMO crowd (and so might be located toward the left edge of the diagram). The campaign should be embarrassed for linking out to the movie Genetic Roulette, whose faults are mentioned above. At other times, the campaign seems to say, “We don’t engage in those unscientific food safety claims; we just think everybody should have a right to know what’s in their food” (and so might be located toward the middle, neither left nor right).
Read the full, original story here: “Distinct viewpoints on GMOs and GMO labeling”
