Bill banning mandatory GMO labeling limits consumers’ rights
- Jul 27, 2015
- 2 min read
We all have a right to know what goes into our food and how it’s been produced, and though there is no solid proof saying Genetically Modified Organisms have any harmful effects on human health, there isn’t solid proof that GMOs are better for us than untreated foods, either.
This opinion article was originally featured in PantherNOW and discusses why GMOs are harmful to us as consumers.
Check out the article’s excerpt below and click the link if you want to read the full story!
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Maytinee Kramer/Contributing Writer
We all have a right to know what goes into our food and how it’s been produced, and though there is no solid proof saying Genetically Modified Organisms have any harmful effects on human health, there isn’t solid proof that GMOs are better for us than untreated foods, either.
The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday , July 23, that bans state laws which force food producers to label products that contain GMOs. This gives the federal government more power to dictate which foods are worthy of labeling. The vote was 275 to 150. This is clearly a victory for food and chemical industries that lobbied for the ban, but it’s a blow to consumer choice and a seizure of states’ rights. Before the bill can be become law though, it will be need to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Obama. So far, the White House has not taken a stance.
Those in favor of the bill say that GMO labels will only cause an increase in food prices and confusion about the safety of genetically engineered food. Gregory Jaffee, Biotechnology Project Director with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, stated at a recent House committee hearing, that there were no known nutritional or safety issues linked to GE food, so labels would be unnecessary.
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Photo Credit: Flickr
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