Anti-GMO Movements Heat Up This Fall

While last winter brought an unprecedented wave of genetically modified crop approvals from the U.S. government, this fall has brought an unprecedented wave of protests aimed at getting genetically modified foods labeled in the U.S.

October 21, 2011 | Source: Chicago Tribune | by Monica Eng

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While last winter brought an unprecedented wave of genetically modified crop approvals from the U.S. government, this fall has brought an unprecedented wave of protests aimed at getting genetically modified foods labeled in the U.S.

Last weekend Right2Know marchers  finished up their trek from New York to the White House, where they rallied for mandatory labeling of GMOs in food.

A couple of weeks ago Nature’s Path released its new  infographic on GMOs in American food. And before that, Stonyfield Farms CEO Gary Hirshberg launched the broad-based “Just Label It” campaign petitioning the FDA to require GMO labeling similar to provisions in Europe, Japan and elsewhere.

October also happens to be national Non-GMO Awareness month, a designation started last year by the Non-GMO Project,  which recently started offering a  voluntary, non-GMO seal for products that it verifies to be free of GMOs.

But rather than a voluntary process, many activists want the FDA to require manufacturers to state whether their products contain GMOs. They would also like the FDA to establish a specific testing regimen aimed at ensuring that GMO foods are safe to eat before they are released on the market.