GMO foods don't need special label, American Medical Assn. says

[Glassunion]

161. Is my tinfoil hat on straight?

"there is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered foods, as a class, and that voluntary labeling is without value unless it is accompanied by focused consumer education."

I'm gonna rant here for a bit. So, if you want Cliff's notes, just skip to the last sentence.

An absence of evidence does not result in: "evidence of absence". If a scientists never looks up, he could state "there is no scientific justification in classifying birds as animals that can fly". Where is the evidence that shows a "scientific justification" that there is no need for special labeling?

Personally I have no evidence that GMO foods are as safe as non-GMO foods. Therefore my wife and I avoid the non-GMO foods. It does not mean that they are unsafe, it simply means that there has been no evidence provided to us on the contrary.

My biggest issue, and perhaps it's because I'm jaded or skeptical, is that GMO comes from large corporations. Corporations are in business to make money, and lots of it. They sell their seeds with a "technology agreement", that is similar to software. We are talking about seeds where a contract needs to be signed for the farmer to have a legal right to drop them in the dirt.

Let's look at what is involved... The Farmer; by signing a "technology agreement" or simply "opening the bag of seed" agrees to the following:
- Farmers have no opportunity or rights to negotiate the terms of the (TA),Technology Agreement which they are required to sign.
- Farmers accept all the terms and responsibilities of the TA by signing the contract OR BY simply OPENING THE BAG!
- Farmers signing this agreement have agreed to have all of their rights under the Federal Privacy Act waived.
- Farmers can not save any seed or provide any seeds to others. Remember it's an annual contract.
- Farmers must allow the corporation access to their fields to inspect crops and to determine the farmer’s compliance with the contract.
- Farmers must allow the corporation full access to their records including USDA, FSA, Risk Management Agency (RMA), and invoices for all seed and chemical transactions and allow the corporation to copy any relevant receipts and documents.
- There is no “sunset” or time limit to these contracts – The corporation can review a farmer’s documents, fields and crops even after the farmer has stopped growing the corporations seeds.
- Farmers accept all liability and responsibility for keeping GM crops out of markets, elevators or other farmers’ fields that do not want or allow GM crops.
- Corporations will not honor any warranties if the farmer does not also use the corporations approved chemicals with the corporation's GM seeds.
- If the farmers are caught violating the contract – the corporation will seek to collect damages and attorneys’ fees and costs from farmers.

Don't even get me started on these GMO corporations suing farmers that never used the company's product, yet had the misfortune of GMO seeds blowing over into their fields. That's a patent infringement lawsuit.

To me it just seems to be another level of corporations guiding policy.
Who lobbied to have the USDA ease requirements for "USDA Organic" labeled foods when they realized that organic foods were a growing market?

Who highjacked the FDA to promote GMO?

Who manipulates consumers with bullshit labels like: "reduced fat", "no fat", "low fat", "natural" or "organic", when the product can contain mountains of fat, not-natural and non-organic ingredients?

What about a nice whole Red Snapper bought from the seafood department? Should have one ingredient right? You know... "Ingredients: Red Snapper" However odds are you are buying something else completely with a little red dye in it to make it, well... red. Ingredients: Tilapia or Rockfish or Perch or Porgy or Whatever, Red Dye #12.

I have a hard time when any group/agency/corporation tells me something is safe. Especially when backed by a group/agency/corporate study. It doubly fucking sucks that I have to look at every food label with my bullshit detector set to 11. If my potato has pig genes in it, if my pork has jellyfish, if my lettuce has tobacco, if my corn produces its own pesticides, if my potatoes have jellyfish in them, I think I have a right to know what I am buying without being deceived.

Sorry... I'm done ranting.

This stance the AMA has that their proposition is true because it has not yet been proven false is bad science in my book.