GMO-free: Just another label?
I am more than a little mystified by the number of products at my local grocery store with the label 'GMO-free'. It strikes me as being akin to the gluten-free fruit cups or the fat-free Jello. Are these food companies worried about how much gluten, fat or genetically modified organisms I consume? I don't think so. GMO-free labels are the latest marketing trend to capitalize on public opinion.
When I heard about the push for state legislation to require labeling of GMO containing foods, I felt like the horse had already left the barn on the issue. Genetic engineering (e.g. manual pollination and crosses) has been around for over fifteen years and has contributed to the majority of commercially grown crops such as cotton, corn and soy. It accounts for the rise in pest resistance strains. Genetically modified organisms go one step further by introducing genes from a different organism in the laboratory instead of the field.
Beyond a doubt there is a growing portion of the population that is worried or even opposed to any GMO or even GE crops. I was surprised to see a seed company taunting that their seeds were neither genetically engineered or modifier.
Yet there is a growing disconnect between the scientific community that views GMO as just another tool that can improve production, contribute to pest resistance, reduce herbicide usage and add key nutritional benefits to existing crops and a growing portion of the public wanting to avoid GMOs. Why is there such a gap between public fears and scientific confidence?
In sharing some pro-GMO posts on Facebook, I was able to discuss the issue with some decidedly GMO-concerned friends. I walked away from the conversation with the distinct impression that what non-scientist fear is not necessarily GMO's in themselves but the negative impact of industrial agriculture.
To me, GMOs are just another product. There's nothing inherently dangerous about the technology. While it offers the ability to produce new products to improve agricultural practices or nutrition, it still leaves us with the impact of industrial farming (e.g. overuse of herbicide, pesticides, fertilizers; soil erosion, water pollution etc.).
I can't blame people for wanting to know what's in the food they buy. I am disgusted every time a product sneaks an artificial sweetener into the ingredients list without a label on the front. GMO's aren't so easy to identify. So I can't complain about people wanting to know they are consuming GMOs. I just fear that the label of GMO-free is more about sales and less about sustainable farming practices.
People should know what they are consuming, but that means the responsibility is on each of us to separate the facts from the hype so we can make informed decisions.
