You apparently know a different set of people than I do. Most of the people I know are pretty un-confident in Govt. “labels” after the recent spate of ingredient tampering and food contamination episodes. Weren’t a lot of those salmonella peanut product labeled “organic”?

As mentioned here before, US food labeling laws are concerned with safety. Do you REALLY want to know what you are eating? Because you should research the FDA rules on how many rodent hairs, bug parts, whole maggots, and spider eggs are allowed in your produce WITHOUT labeling. And you still have no idea what your food was exposed to in the field or on the way to market. The only way to TRULY know is to grow it yourself. At which point anyone in the US would have to say goodbye to coffee and chocolate, to cite a few examples.

I want to know that the workers that made the products I consume were pair a fair market wage. Sure, some manufacturers VOLUNTARILY label their products as “Fair Trade”, or whatever, and I try to support those vendors when I can, but the vendors use that label primarily as a marketing tool to justify a higher price. But as far as I know no government agency certifies these products as “Fair Trade”.

You are WELCOME to ASK the manufacturers of GM products to VOLUNTARILY label those products, but 13 years of “exposure” have not shown a SINGLE verifiable case where GM was a safety or health threat, so the govt. cannot justify labeling it.

Don’t want GM in your food? Buy organic. Done. And we save the cost of an additional governmental agency, but in terms of taxes and in terms of food costs.

Deborah said:
“but many of us are more concerned about health, justice, and the environment.”

I am concerned about all of these, also. But there are no statistically significant indications that GM is a health concern. GM is justice neutral, as far as I know. And my understanding is GM in many cases is BETTER for the environment than conventional and even organic farming.

A kick in the pocket book may be the most alarming kick to you, John Q, but many of us are more concerned about health, justice, and the environment. What is the real cost? And who ultimately bears it?

What I gave were MY reasons for lobbying against unnecessary labelling. Because, for me, a distinct kick in the pocketbook is more alarming than some nebulous non-specific hint of a possible (but non-detectable) threat.

And that, folks, is why Kate gets paid to do this, while I am an amateur!

I still want my label for non-exploited left-handed harvesters, though. ;^)

And also, Kate, thanks for sticking with this discussion beyond the ten-day “expiration date”.

We also have a post on labeling and Monsanto and a For the Record on it as well!

The main message to take away, however, is that the U.S. labeling laws are based on health and safety. Requiring labeling for ingredients that don’t pose a health issue would undermine both our labeling laws and consumer confidence.

“Oh, and Kate. Why, if GM crops are so wonderful and benign, does Monsanto fight against the consumers right to know?”

I’m not Kate, but I’ll take a crack at this. As you yourself point out, there is already a labelling process for “organic” food, which currently excludes GM, so that is certainly an existing option for you “GM labellers”. But let me point out that organic food carries a price premium. Part of that price premium is because it is less efficient to make, and part of it is because SOMEONE has to pay for the certification, labelling, and regulation.

So it is for “Non-GM” labelling. Monsanto is not (ultimately) going to pay for that. The farmer isn’t going to pay for that. Your local supermarket isn’t going to absorb that cost. YOU, the taxpayer and/or consumer, are going to ultimately pay for that. And I hope it is “you”, the consumer, and not “us”, the taxpayer, that pays for it, because I agree with Monsanto, there is no testable nutritional difference between GM and non-GM food, and only sophisticated genetic tests can tell at the DNA level.

I asked this above, and this topic went basically silent for a month and a half. Perhaps you, Philip, are willing to answer, since you are so keen on non-GM labelling:

How far down the processing stream does “GM” stick?

Are animals fed GM corn considered “GM”? Does that make people (and other animals) that eat those animals ALSO “GM”?

Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from GM corn considered “GM”? Does the Coke(R) and Pepsi(R) made from that HFCS thus become “GM”?

Does ethanol from GM corn become “GM”? Will that then make your CAR “GM”?

Does refined sugar from GM beets become “GM”, even though it contains NO DNA? What about brownies made at home from that refined sugar?

Does runoff from fields planted with GM crops become “GM”? Do harvests from no-tilled GM fields become “GM” in subsequent years?

Do foods fried in oil from GM cotton become “GM”?

Does Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) made from GM soybeans become “GM”? Do the vegetarian
“burgers” made from that “GM” TVP become “GM”? What about all of the school lunches with TVP?

Do clothes made from GM cotton become “GM”? Do (non-food, but still) bandages and tampons made from GM cotton become “GM”? What about recycled fibers?

We COULD intermingle our wheat, corn, rice, rye, cotton, soybean, banana, pineapple, papaya, and watermelon crops and drastically reduce the opportunities for infectious diseases through proximity, but the harvesting costs would be prohibitive. People don’t like their CURRENT food bill.

How do any of your employees sleep at night.