GMO Labeling Law

Can you think of a law that was recently passed that affected your life personally? For years the government has passed laws that contributed to either life of leisure for some or heartache for others. This has especially been true for GMO's. They have become a hot topic on Capital hill over the last little while and have divided many groups of people on what should be done in regard to labeling, documentation, and even if genetically modifying food should be legal. There is one particular law recently have has had a major impact on GMO production. 

This law came about when GMOs became more abundant on the market and several companies and groups began to question the safety of these foods. Pressure began for the government to require companies to label any foods that contain GMO’s. This process took some time while scientist studied the safety of these foods and eventually found no difference between the GMO foods and non GMO foods (Charles, 2016). This didn’t seem convincing enough. The pressure continued to come, eventually lead to the passing of the GMO labeling law (Lynas, 2016).

Back in July of 2016 President Obama passed a law that required that genetically modified organisms be labeled (USDA, 2018). This required that any foods that contain GMO ingredients would be labeled or have a QR code that would tell consumers if it contains GMOs. Although imported foods don’t have the same requirement. This would require additional information from foreign producers so that the foods can be labeled properly (Poinski, 2017).

I would imagine that questions about GMOs will not end any time soon and the government will continue to be involved. This just requires that citizens of the United States continue to be involved in selecting good leaders for our country that have our best interest in mind. 

Worked Cited:

Charles, D. (2016, July 16). Congress just passed a GMO lableing bill. No ones super happy about it.Retrieved June 17, 2018, from The Salt:Whats on your plate: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/14/486060866/congress-just-passed-a-gmo-labeling-bill-nobodys-super-happy-about-it

Lynas, M. (2016, May 23). The GMO debate is over.Retrieved June 17, 2018, from Alliance for Science : https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2016/05/gmo-safety-debate-is-over/

Poinski, M. (2017, June 7). USDA on GMO Labeling Law: Still on track but alittle behind.Retrieved June 17, 2018, from Food Dive: https://www.fooddive.com/news/usda-on-gmo-labeling-law-still-on-track-but-a-little-behind/444383/

USDA. (2018, March 6). Labeling of food derived from Genetically Engineered Plants.Retrieved from US Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GEPlants/ucm346858.htm