That right to know whether the food you eat contains GMOs — genetically modified organisms — is at the center of a multi-million dollar national fight between the food industry and consumer rights advocates.
Grocery trade groups and farmers who grow the crops say labels will only scare people needlessly and raise the price of food. Consumer advocates say everyone has the right to know whether they are eating something whose DNA was changed in a lab.
The scientific tweaks at the center of the debate are called genetic modifications. More than 400 million acres of genetically modified crops are grown in the world. The vast majority of corn, soy and cotton grown in the U.S. is genetically modified, or “GMO.”
Sugar, too, often comes from GMO beet plants.
The fight over the right to know whether food is GMO came to New York this year and experts on both sides says it’s here to stay.
The ripples of a labeling law are unclear. A study by Cornell University professor William Lesser found that New York’s proposed law would raise a family’s grocery costs by an average of $500-a-year and cost manufacturers and grocers millions. (Critics point out that his research was funded by the Council for Biotechnology Information, an industry organization for the companies that develop GMO technologies).
Read the full, original article: GMO or no? Should labels be required on food with genetically modified ingredients?
