"Non-GMO" Labeled Items in Your Store Yet?

[shezmu]

Hey, I just got back from grocery shopping and I noticed a couple of items that were labeled "non-gmo" by the folks at the non-gmo project website at my local Shoppers. Best part was that the non-gmo stuff costed less than the organic stuff! Unfortunately, The items labeled were soy products which I don't care for. Gotta start somewhere I guess. =/

So yeah, "Non-gmo" labeled items popping up in your store? Is the Non-GMO Project a scam? Discuss.

[pikawicca]

The U.S. Senate just passed a version of the Farm Bill that prohibits states from labeling non-GMO foods. I expect the House to concur, since our government has been bought and paid for. Big Ag has deep pockets.

[MGZ]

Here's a discussion of the defeated Sander's amendment:

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/in...

[vil]

Sounds like a good start.

I have not seen the label in wide circulation yet, but have been noticing for a long time that it is on a lot of imported goods, from France, Japan, Taiwan for example. For goods from Asia, most of them are for grains and soy based products - natto, soy milk, soy sauce etc.

[drongo]

I personally have no concerns about eating GM foods. And for the most part I am OK with mandatory GM labeling, though I do think it's an invitation to FUD marketing. I used to work for a large pharmaceutical company, and a decade ago or so we had an interesting showdown between our R&D scientists and the food service contractor (which ran the cafeteria) after the contractor posted signs about GMOs (and about the caterer's avoidance of same for health reasons) and the scientists said "where's the evidence?" The caterer ultimately removed the FUD signs. (My employer was not involved in GM foods but was heavily invested in recombinant DNA technology for discovery and production of vaccines and medicines, so the scientists weren't exactly neutral observers.)

[splatgirl]

"where's the evidence?"
Superweeds, for one.

[MGZ]

For anyone interested, the following article and the study it is based upon contain some decent information on the subject:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/arc...

At the end of the day, however, who really thinks labeling is such a bad idea?

[shezmu]

I much prefer a voluntary "we don't have GMO" labeling over compulsory "we have GMO" labeling, because among other reasons, you just know big agra would manipulate the latter as a way to impose more taxes and regulations on already struggling small farmers while making loopholes that allow the them sell GMO under another name.

[hill food]

ya cynic. (although I suspect you're right) they've already fuzzed up the organic label to the point it lacks a point sometimes.

[Harters]

Thankfully, where I am in the world, we adopt the opposite view - that GMO products should be labelled as such. It is the law across all the states of the European Union.

http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/gm...

[hill food]

sadly in the US we don't have much of that regional pride. (though I did have a damn good tomato from Arkansas the other day)

[hill food]

if your supermarket individually labels the produce with stickers, there's alreafy a way of deciphering the code having something to do with the first number and the amount of numbers, but I forget the details.

[laskiblue]

I read somewhere that 5 number codes beginning with 8 are GMO products. Not sure of the accuracy of that though.

[thursday]

That was an internet rumor, apparently, that was debunked.

[hill food]

really? too bad. it was a good idea IMHO

gotta hit Snopes.com more often

[laskiblue]

Thanks for that info!

[thursday]

Labeling of GMOs just got enough signatures to get on the ballot in CA in November - there's an unprecedented amount of support, something like 92%, so it will most likely pass. So it'll be showing up a lot in CA soon, I hope. =)

[mpjmph]

And then everywhere else, because manufacturers are not likely to design and distribute two different sets of packaging for CA and the rest of us :) Thank you, California.

[lovegreatcooking]

Good news….no doubt with that percentage it will no doubt pass. I am from the U.K. originally - now living in California….even the irradiated vegetables etc, are labelled…wonder what the situation is here re same. It is no wonder children are growing up with numerous illnesses and - of course - obesity thanks for chemicals, colouring and flavouring and the all time killer corn syrup. Thank goodness I lived in an era when fruit and vegetables spoiled if you did not use them plus all my meals were prepared from fresh ingredients.

[kubasd]

Have been for a while..... unless you're referring to something different?

[shezmu]

This is the first time I've seen products that advertise that they're GMO-free. Then again, I haven't been to any of the more hip grocery stores, so perhaps that's why I haven't noticed. This is still awesome, as the reason why I buy organic is to try to keep the GMO out of my diet.

[lovegreatcooking]

'The World According to Monsanto' - French Documentary
Watch this regarding GMO's. Monsanto owns most of the soy farms here and around the world. Their soy beans have been genetically modified with ROUNDUP….check it out in the above video, researched and made by a woman in France. Frankly, it is horrifying.

[Njchicaa]

They are resistant to RoundUp, they don't contain it.

[lovegreatcooking]

They are resistant to disease because the chemical Roundup has been genetically engineered INTO the Soy seed. Check out the video I suggested be watched. All the facts are in there.

[kmcarr]

Sorry but you are completely misinformed. Roundup (glyphosphate) is a broad spectrun herbicide, applied to fields to kill weeds. Soy, as well as corn, wheat, canola, cotton and other GMO crops identified as "Roundup Ready" have added genes which make them resistant to glyphosphate. This means farmers can spray their fields with Roundup to contol weeds without killing their crop.

The genetic modifications related to Roundup DO NOT mean rhe plants produce this chemical and they have nothing to do with disease resistance.

[Njchicaa]

The soybeans don't produce RoundUp. They are RESISTANT to it so they can hose down a field with the stuff and it won't harm the soybean plants... and none of that has anything to do with disease resistance.