In her May 31 guest commentary (“Do you know what’s in your food?“), St. Xavier University assistant professor Tatiana C. Tatum Parker appears to oppose genetically modified foods and erroneously claims that “both sides have sound arguments that are supported by data” in an effort to encourage state legislation, including her in Illinois, requiring labeling of GM foods.
State-mandated food labeling would be a waste of taxpayer dollars because it is fueled by fear, not science; will drive up food costs in Illinois and will likely be overturned as unlawful for restricting interstate commerce.
First, there is no reputable, peer-reviewed research opposing GM foods. Instead, groups with anti-GM agendas have made claims based on small studies not endorsed by the scientific community.
To the contrary, here is a partial list of the thousands of organizations whose research supports GM foods — the National Academy of Sciences, American Medical Association, World Health Organization, American Council on Science and Health, United Nations and the World Food Programme.
Plus, the labeling in Illinois’ proposed legislation has no teeth and offers no real consumer information. For example, the GM gene for corn oil is in its protein and separated out during processing. The proposed mandatory label would mark corn oil as genetically modified even though it isn’t.
Share this article
What about products made from a minuscule amount of oil or another ingredient with only a fraction of a GM product on the list of ingredients?
Illinois’ proposed GM-labeling law falls short on matters of processing and degree. Genetic modification is a technology, not an ingredient. This is more than a yes-or-no issue. We should not have to pay a premium for an Illinois label that offers a whole lot of not much.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Labeling of GM food unnecessary, too costly
