Labeling Genetically Modified Food – A Political Matter Now

Oct. 25, 2011 - PRLog -- Remedy Health News – Should genetically modified food be labeled accordingly? From an NPR story, this is a raging question that is sweeping large parts of the USA at the moment. Protesters in large numbers agitated in front of the White House a few days ago. Their demand was quite clear – President Obama should honor his presidential campaign commitment to label food that has been modified genetically. If the corn in the cornflakes is not natural, one should know about it.

The government is finding it difficult to comply with this demand. However, this demand has now got politically colored and the color will not fade away soon. Some protestors have vowed not to vote for President Obama when he comes up for reelection. After all, President Obama had mentioned in 2007 that every American has the right to know what they’re buying for food – natural food or genetically modified food.

The truth is that President Obama has paved the way for genetically modified food to come into the market. Genetically modified alfalfa and sugar beet are common these days. And it is causing a lot of concern among organic farmers who fear that any cross pollination could lead to health hazards in future.

The FDA has also been battling to introduce genetically modified salmon that can grow much faster. The US House of Representatives has already rejected any investment in this project. The Senate is now expected to battle over this concept when they discuss the agriculture spending bill.

Genetically modified food has been mired in controversy for a long time and this partly due to the fact that there is no labeling requirement as of now. Regulators and scientists have said time and again that labeling is not needed. They say that FDA has no conclusive evidence such food is different from natural food or there are any health concerns associated with them.

People also argue that labeling will make people skeptical about buying genetically modified food. 70-90% of processed food is modified as it is. But food policy experts, Marion Nestle for example, say that labeling is needed so that people can exercise their choice.

News Link: http://remedy-health.com/health-news/labeling-genetically...

~Remedy Health News