Why Aren't GMFs Labeled? -Rebuttal

The labeling of GMFs and its various food products has been an extremely controversial issue.  Many industries believe that labeling these foods should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of a free market.  If majority of the consumers show preference for labeled food over the non-labeled foods then the companies will have a reason to include the labels on their products.  Many people argue that they have the right to know what they are eating and that the companies in food industry need to prove themselves as being in compliance with the FDA regulations.

There are a wide variety of questions that fall behind these statements.  The first questions is whether or not the consumers are willing to pay for the cost of labeling GMFs since there will need to be a sorting process taking place between the GMFs from the non-GMFs.  Another thing is that the farmers will have to keep the genetically modified crops from mixing with the normal crops during planting, harvesting, and shipping.  So it is more than likely that the consumers WILL pick up these tabs, so are they ready for that?

Another issue that comes into play is whether or not cross-contamination will be acceptable once these labeling requirements come into play.  Most companies would argue that there would need to be a 1% acceptance rate, while the consumers argue that there should be a 0% acceptance rate, which is near impossible considering the amount of human error taken into account on a regular basis.  Some companies such a Gerber and Frito-Lay pledge to never use GMFs, but if they did it’s not like we would know it and neither would they if there not the ones growing and inspecting the crops.

The final issue is who would be responsible for educating the public considering that GMF labels will most likely be printed in scientific terms in order to be considered accurate.  Because once looked upon at a closer view…food labels must be conveyed to display accurate information, but they need to be in a simple language that everyone can understand.  So if this in itself is a HUGE challenge for the companies to stay in compliance with the different policies of food labeling, but they also have to inform the public in a simple language that doesn’t damage their credentials so it’s kind of one of those near impossible things to do when looked at from a non-biased point of view.