Food Labels That Won’t Please Everyone
PREVENTION in its article No More GMO: ‘Bioengineered’ Is the New Term Being Used for USDA Food Labels provides a brief overview of new labelling requirements that went into effect in the US on January 1:
As of January 1, genetically modified organisms (GMO) and genetically engineered foods (GE) will be labeled as bioengineered (BE).
The term “bioengineered” of course will not by itself communicate everything that people need or want to know about the food they eat. Personally, I’ve never been convinced of the dangers threatened by anti-GMO activists about genetic engineering. Having done a modicum of research on my own into genetics, and having consulted with scientists I know and trust, I am much more concerned about the dangers posed by processed and packaged foods. For example, it’s amazing how many items I pass on supermarket shelves that cause me to wonder, “Is that really safe to eat?”
Plus, I believe the potential benefits of “bioengineering” far outweigh the (greatly imagined) dangers — mRNA vaccines, anyone?
Labels by themselves cannot provide enough information to please everyone. Linking the label to readily available web based sources of information was inevitable. That’s what the new rules require via QR codes and URLs. That’s good.
But will it really make a difference? For myself, do I really care if a food item is the result of traditional methods of crossbreeding and selection as opposed to bioengineered shortcuts?
If the argument is that bioengineering might have negative side effects that at first go undetected, that’s something we can discuss. But natural selection operating by itself can also have negative side effects — witness the Omicron variant. Are people suggesting that we not use genetic engineering techniques to fight such diseases?
Meanwhile we will have imperfect labelling such as the green symbol displayed at the top of this article. People will have to make up their own minds about buying food that displays such labels. I fully expect that anti-GMO activists will oppose such foodstuffs. Standardized labeling will not change the nature of the ongoing argument.
But I will draw the line at tolerating arguments that emphasize fear and anti-science messaging. Labels by themselves will not prevent that, unfortunately.
Copyright (c) 2022 by Dennis D. McDonald
