A consumer goes to the produce aisle in the supermarket and sees five displays of strawberries. The first is labeled “USDA Organic,” the second “GMO-free,” the third “All Natural,” the fourth “Locally Grown,” and the fifth has no label. Which of the strawberries is genetically modified?
Answer: None. There are no GMO strawberries being commercially grown or sold in the U.S. (or anywhere else) — but most people don’t know this. Nor do they know that USDA organic standards prohibit the use of GMO seeds. Or that in some cases, “GMO-free” is being used as a marketing ploy on products that never contained GMOs under any circumstances. Or that “All Natural” is the most meaningless term on a package today — appearing on foods with ingredients that only a biochemist can pronounce. Or that “Locally Grown” says nothing about the merits of a food other than that it was grown nearby.
All this explains the crippling confusion that now confronts too many food consumers every time they enter the grocery store. We can do better — and when it comes to the powerful technology behind genetically modified foods, we must.
You can debate the ethics of tinkering with the DNA of the plants and animals we eat — but it’s beyond debate that consumers have the right to know what they’re buying for the family table. New York’s legislation has been steadily moving through committees in the Assembly this year. It could soon come up for a floor vote if Speaker Sheldon Silver and fellow Democrats decide to take a stand against undue corporate influence and do what’s right for New Yorkers. We all have the right to know what’s in our food. Let’s put that in writing.
Read the full, original article: Tell New Yorkers what’s in their food
