Gmo Labeling Pros And Cons

Firstly on the topic of GMO labels, I personally believe that if a food product has been genetically modified that it should be labeled as such. In my research the FDA does not require testing for safety in such products (Kaldveer).This could lead to companies making potentially harmful or even deadly alterations to their product that would not be known until it was too late. My personal opinion is that not only should the FDA also start labeling but finding out what was actually altered in the company’s product. Although this would create more hassle and more paperwork for the companies, I think that it would be in the best benefit for the consumers at large. For instance a person purchasing a product that is genetically modified but not labeled could be allergic to a specific kind of food. The item that they are purchasing could have been altered in a way that might set off their allergic reaction without them knowing what caused this. If this is the case, the individual might not take appropriate action and therefore suffer dire consequences.
In addition, since some of the GMO crop seeds are not labeled, there is the distinct possibility of more than normal pesticide runoff.
For example, most strains of GMO sweet corn already have pesticides in the seed before it is planted. If the planter did not know that they were pretreated to begin with, they might spray them more than necessary with pesticides, thus leading to run off into streams and rivers surrounding the fields (Becky Bell). Although it would have extra pest prevention qualities, it could hurt the environment. With even more pesticides in rivers this could lead to large fish kills and algal blooms in already taxed rivers around the
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I also believe that we should be following in Britain’s foots steps when regarding GMO food safety. They do not only require that foods be labeled accordingly, but that they are also tested for safety before they can be released to the public. This ruling was released previously in 2004 before the United States even saw this as an issue (GM Labeling). How would the average consumer decide: go the new safer way with Britain or stay with the old, ineffective ways in American GMO labeling?
Bibliography
Becky Bell. Disadvantages of GMO Sweet Corn. 2014. Web Article. 6 Feburary 2014.
GM Labeling. 30 January 2013. Web Article. 6 Feburary 2014.
Kaldveer, Zack. Five Ways the FDA Has Failed Consumers on Genetically Engineered Foods. n.d. Web Article . 6 Feburary 2014.