One of the goals of the anti-GMO gangs is to push labeling of food products that contain anything that is considered to be genetically modified. They have sought out laws for food labeling in various ways, including propositions and legislation.
Generally, these efforts have been a failure in the USA, except in Vermont, Maine and Connecticut, although each may be or has been subject to judicial review. And there is a strong possibility that these labeling laws will probably be found unconstitutional.
Even California, one of the most liberal states in the USA, rejected GMO labeling in a popular vote on Proposition 37 in 2012. Ironically, Proposition 37 received strong financial and person support from noted pseudoscience-pushing, anti-vaccination shill, Joe Mercola.
Even recently, Gary Hirshberg, one of the most loud-mouthed anti-GMO activists, repeated the myth in an August 2015 op-ed: “adding a few words to the ingredient panel. . . would have no impact on the price of food.”
Given that there is little evidence that GMOs are dangerous, given that that there is a strong scientific consensus on the safety and usefulness of GMOs, and given that GMOs are an important technology for the future of humanity, it’s an odd argument that we need to label foods as to their GMO content.
Let me be clear. Food labeling is critical, and it must get better. Diabetics need accurate information about food content to adjust their diet and insulin use. Ironically, people with real gluten sensitivities (extremely rare) have benefited mightily from “gluten free” product labeling, which resulted from the myth of gluten sensitivities pushed by pseudoscience.
Given the scientific facts regarding the safety of GMOs, labeling is ridiculous.
Because the anti-GMO forces know they can’t win on the science, they have begun pushing labeling because they say that it does not add costs to food. Some of them claim that, in the USA, the cost of labeling is less than a penny a day.
Gary Hirshberg, one of the most loud-mouthed anti-GMO activists, repeated the myth in an August 2015 op-ed: “adding a few words to the ingredient panel. . . would have no impact on the price of food.”
Even though the science says they are wrong, many ask “why not allow labeling, especially if it’s not that expensive.”
Because that claim – that labeling GMO foods is not expensive – only accounts for the direct cost of labeling, not anything else. And it’s wrong, economically.
The anti-GMO gang exclusively focuses on only two points with regards to labeling – that the cost of changing the labels is small, and that consumer behavior probably won’t change. Most of their beliefs about costs are based on cherry picked studies (pdf), which are worth approximately nothing to a real scientific skeptic.
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