Why We Need Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food.

• Author: Hansen, Michael

Food is fundamentally different from other consumer products. As something we literally take inside ourselves, that is necessary on a daily basis for growth and life, and that is bound up in our cultures and traditions, we care about it intensely. Consumers feel they have a fundamental right to know what they are eating, and that it is safe. Most developed countries have adopted laws that reflect this view, requiring ingredient labeling, labeling as to any processing (e.g., frozen, homogenized, irradiated), conformance to standards of identity (e.g. peanut butter must be made from peanuts), and indicating presence of any additives (e.g. sulfites, preservatives). Some countries require labeling as to the fat, protein, carbohydrate and vitamin content of food as well.

Consumers want to know what they are eating both as a pure matter of taste and preference, and for many health-related reasons. They may want to eat fish to improve their chances of avoiding heart disease, or avoid fish because they are concerned about depletion of certain species in the oceans or about mercury contamination. Body builders may seek out red meat, vegetarians will avoid it, and Muslims will avoid pork but not lamb. Mothers may look for apple juice for their children because it is a natural drink, or avoid it because it gives their child a stomach ache. Every day, millions of consumers worldwide read millions of food labels and make millions of decisions like this for themselves and their families.

The countries of the European Union have recognized this, and have instituted regulations requiring labeling of all genetically engineered food, although many consumer and environmental groups think the labeling requirements do not go far enough. In the United States, where genetically engineered corn, soybeans and potatoes are being grown commercially, repeated public opinion surveys show consumers overwhelmingly want labeling, but thus far the government has failed to require it. Most countries have not considered the issue yet. Of the large chemical/biotechnology companies that are developing these foods, some, like Novartis, support labeling, but most, like Monsanto and other major developers, oppose it.

The Codex Alimentarius, an agency of the United Nations World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, is considering whether to adopt a guideline recommending that all countries require labeling of genetically engineered food. Codex guidelines are not binding, but are often adopted by developing countries and can be used to settle trade disputes (if a country adopts a Codex standard, that standard cannot be challenged as protectionist).

Consumers want and have a right to labeling of all genetically engineered food, because it is not "substantially equivalent" to conventional food, because some individuals can have unpredictable mild to severe allergic reactions, because it can have unanticipated toxic effects, because it can change the nutrition in food, because it can cause dramatic environmental effects and because consumers presently use food labeling to express a wide variety of religious...