Core Truths: 10 Common GMO Claims Debunked

[Orrex]

68. Demonstrate that the benefit outweighs the cost, and companies will volunteer

Foods produced using genetic engineering techniques as defined by genetic engineers.

Are you talking about the overwhelming population of genetic engineers who recognize GMOs as safe, or the handful of fringe outliers who insist that GMOs are dangerous despite a lack of evidence?

Does every organic product on the shelf have a label that says "grown with cow shit?" Why shouldn't this be stamped on every organic product? What's the harm in transparency?

GM's faulty ignition switches aren't hidden in their products, as GMO's are.

Really? Are all of GM's switches faulty? No? Are the faulty ones clearly identified as faulty? No? Then they're hidden. And yet they were identified. Amazing!

To date, no health problem has been demonstrably linked to GMOs, despite decades of luddite fear-mongering. You are proposing that GMOs be emblazoned with a scarlet letter for no real reason beyond the aesthetics of the consumer.

When there is a problem with contaminated beef, for example, people know if they have eaten beef.

But when such a problem occurs, we don't get a general "beware of beef" warning. Instead, we are advised of the specific products and distributors that are at issue, and products are recalled accordingly. If there should suddenly be an as yet entirely non-demonstrated problem with GMO soy, then we would receive a warning about the products that contain this soy.

In the absence of any evidence of harm from GMOs, I still don't see why companies should be required to tag their products in a way that might foster undue paranoia. Why not also make them reveal that one of their drivers was once arrested for vandalism and an accounting supervisor is undergoing chemo? Statistically, these factors pose about as much of a health risk as GMOs, so why not force them to disclose it?


For that matter, why not simply encourage non-GMO products to advertise as such? That would accomplish the same thing and could actually be used as a selling point among consumers who've only read the fear-mongering.