Should farmers be required to identify foods that have been genetically altered?

Question

Should farmers be required to identify foods that have been genetically altered?

Answer 1

I am leaning toward yes, but there are a lot of things that I think should be labeled, or at least better and more honestly labeled than they are today.  Given the current regulations in the US, I think that there are a lot of labeling laws that should be changed first, as they are more important.   Also, the issue is pretty complex, so I'm not sure exactly how labeling would work.  Whether or not something was genetically modified IN SOME WAY is not really useful information, and I think it's pretty silly and irrational of people to be against all GMOs.  What is important to know is if the food is going to behave differently in your body and in the environment.  If someone engineers an orange that produces more vitamin C, this will have a possible health effect, but it would almost certaily cause no harm and have a potential health benefit.  An orange that can survive different temperatures or stave off infection may or may not impact the consumer, it just depends on exactly what is done.  Modifications that help it ward off pests might have zero impact on human health and improve the health of the environment, if used as an alternative to spraying pesticides into the air or soil.  

I guess my short answer is that it's probably a good idea but is too complex to do fairly and reasonably, and that it isn't near the top of my list of labeling regulations that need to be changed.

Answer 2

Just about everything you buy at the store that goes in or on the body is required to list ingredients, if they're adding something unnatural to produce they should have to disclose exactly what modifications have been made.

Answer 3

Yes, but first you have to make the seed companies tell the farmer. That fight is now in progress.

Answer 4

Absolutely.  I dont want to eat genetically altered veggies.