GMO Controversy: Should We Label Our Food?

The GMO controversy stirred up a huge uproar about labels. The argument on whether or not companies should scan and label our food for GMOs has captured everyone’s attention, even scientists and government workers. Labeling GMOs doesn’t sound terrible; it’s nice to know what’s in the engineered crops, such as possible toxins allergens, and other hazards.
Crop engineers and farmers are known to do anything to protect their harvests from insects. An alternative was found, only to be aimed at insects that eat the plant. “One type of bacteria, Bacillus Thuringiensis(BT), naturally produces special crystal proteins. These proteins have been shown to be lethal to insect larvae.” (Hotchkiss 1) It’s been familiar to some that BT is injected into
Professionals always tell us what’s healthy, and even what’s pernicious to our bodies, but society and the internet are always trying to prove these wrong, or there’s another professional saying something completely different. “That’s the way science looks at it.— That there is always some size of risk. Then it’s really up to society to gauge whether that risk is acceptable or not.” (Hotchkiss 1) I can actually agree on that, as society has the power to shape views and mindsets. For the risks, most people ignore health endangerment, causing people’s well-being to dip. This is caused by ignorance of the public of hidden toxins in food products. The original potato, for example, is one that put some lives on the line. The purple potato used to have a natural chemical in it that was extremely hazardous, enough to cause illness strong enough to almost kill someone. Fortunately, the potato never made the market, but this experience still shows carelessness within us as human beings. Thankfully the issue was resolved with certain action plans from engineers. Labels would let us know about these faint, hidden toxins as a precaution, even though these organisms have been modified for the reason to get rid of these
“Can you test for the likelihood that that the food could cause allergic reactions in the public (allergenicity)?” (Hotchkiss 2) Allergens are a huge and very well-known problem. Gratefully, most of the time, we are informed about common allergens, such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, etc. These warnings are mostly seen in baked, pre-made, and manufactured items though. With produce on the other hand, the majority of these natural items are just handed out in bunches, without any warning that these allergens might be near or touching them. A personal example is if a store didn’t wash the tongs that were used to pick up many different pastries. Now those allergens are on the tongs that get on the pastry, which could put someone at risk, depending on how severe the allergy is. The science of the allergen is always a mystery, making that a possible hazard, too. Peanuts, am extremely common allergen in the United States, have certain proteins that can possibly trigger an allergic reaction, whether it be mild or severe. Some sort of warning would be terrific so we could know what we should pick up at the store or local market. I’ve seen things like this at certain establishments, like putting a peanut drawing next to the name of a dish at restaurants, and simply having the nutrition facts on a small guide in some