GMO Labeling - is it a good idea?

The CT legislature recently passed a bill requiring labeling of foods with ingredients coming from genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.  Being the first state in the nation to do so, some of our political leaders had reservations about such labeling, concerned that the additional costs associated with it would be either passed on to consumers or have the major companies not even offer these products for sale in the state.  So, the bill that was passed by the CT House included a "trigger" which requires a number of states around CT to also require labeling of GMOs.  This has created an uproar in both anti-GMO groups as well as the CT Senate, saying that the trigger makes it impossible for this labeling to occur.

As a science teacher, I have taught a number of politically and publicly charged topics, such as Global Warming, Diversity Loss, the Ozone Hole, and, now, GMOs.  When I ask my students about GMOs, they often start off very against them.  However, as I ask them questions about the research done in the past decade on GMOs, and their effect on human health in the long and short term, they begin to see how science works.  So far, there has been only one study done which has shown that GMOs could cause health problems.  This study was done on experimental rats where they were fed exclusively GMO corn for 2 years.  This corn was modified to be resistant to Roundup, a weed-killing chemical made by Monsanto.  Pretty damning, huh?

Well, when the experiment is broken down, a number of problems appear.  First, most experiments with this type of rat only goes 90-180 days.  This is because their lifespan is about 2 years, and towards the end of their lives, they have a high incidence of tumors.  A number of scientists have pointed out these, and other flaws in the experiment, and when they are taken into account, the rate of tumor development in the GMO and non-GMO rats was not significantly different.  Also, the researcher who carried out the experiment has been a vocal opponent of GMOs for years,putting further doubt into his results due to potential bias.

So far, there has been no scientific proof of GMOs being detrimental to the health of humans.  Yet many people keep yelling that they do not wish to have these ingredients in their foods, and that we have a right to know what we're eating.  Unfortunately, they are acting on emotional, but not scientific, arguments.  If these groups get their way, the only thing that the residents of CT have to look up to are higher food prices and less choice at the market.  Add this to the high cost of living and poor economy in CT already, and you have a recipe for disaster.  I applaud Speaker Sharkey and Gov. Malloy for thinking of the people of the state (although our governor might not have our best interests at heart), for fixing a bad bill and making it more palatable and less likely to raise food prices.  I would have preferred if they had looked deeper into the science before passing any bill, but if they are to pass one, hopefully it will be the House version.