- GOOD OR BAD?
- THE JURY OF PUBLIC OPINION
- WHY THE BAD RAP?
Genetic modification has become a staple of every day farming. The real story of GMO is one of ingenuity and environmental responsibility. The reasons for GMO seeds are many. Fuel efficiency, weed resistance, and drought tolerance are just a few examples. The reality is that GMO seeds can be a good thing. They can reduce greenhouse gases and they can make crops available on lands where other seeds will not grow. All in all, they can be a positive.
All that being said, companies need to make sure that their GMO products are properly tested, approved and regulated. Take for example the Syngenta/China GMO litigation dispute. Syngenta’s decision to place GMO corn seeds in the marketplace without approval from a major importer of the commodity caused a huge problem for corn farmers. When China detected the unapproved corn in the shipments, they began returning the shipments to the US, which promptly impacted the worldwide corn market. That is an example of corporate aggression outweighing reason.
Consumers are demanding more and more information about the foods they eat. They want to know if they are going to harm them and their families. They have concerns that any non-natural genetic modification will have a detrimental impact on their health and the health of their families. Recently I saw this mark on a tortilla chip bag in the grocery store:
Why is it that a company is promoting the fact that their tortilla chip is made without GMO corn? The fact of the matter is that the corn that made the chips was made using more fuel, more water and more pesticides. I think we would all agree that this is not a good thing. However, the public hasn’t been provided with the proper science regarding the safety of GMO products. The public has a healthy skepticism of corporations genetically modifying the food that they consume. They are particularly skeptical of the GMO products that are used in every day food. They are suspicious and rightfully fear the unknown.
Information is the best tool to solve this problem. The more people know about GMO products, the better we all will be. The FDA is charged with regulating the foodstuffs in our country. It is also charged with informing the public about the foods we eat.
It is time for the FDA to step up to their obligation to properly inform the public about the safety of the properly approved GMO products that are on the market. It should inform people of the fuel, water and pesticides that are moderated by the use of such seeds. It should inform the public of the abject safety of the food they are putting in their mouths. The fact of the matter is that the general public should be DEMANDING GMO products, not recoiling against them. It is not their fault. Solid scientific information would go a long way to informing a very intelligent consumer base which would turn the tidal wave that is currently against GMO products in general.
Written by:
Brian Berryman
Watts Guerra LLP
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg. 3, Suite 100
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Phone (210) 447-0500
© Watts Guerra LLP 2015
