Recent polls have shown that over 93 per cent of Americans believe GM foods should be labelled. The 'Just Label It' campaign has filed a legal petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which 'calls for products that use ingredients produced with genetic engineering to disclose this information on the label.' The campaign's homepage features a gripping short video by Food, Inc. filmmaker Robert Kenner, which tells the stories of 3 Americans and their experiences with GM foods, making us realise the severity of these uncharted methods of production.
Over half the foods (60-70 per cent) in American grocery stores are said to contain GM ingredients and the FDA hasn't made it a requirement to label these foods processed through genetic engineering.
'More than 470 diverse organisations are partners in Just Label It. We come from health care, farming and manufacturing. We are environmental organisations, retail outlets and concerned parents. While we may have different views on many issues, we all share the belief that Americans have the right to know what is in our food and we have the right to make an informed choice about what we eat and feed our families,' said Just Label It partner Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Chairman.
Those who aren't completely aware on the issues surrounding GM foods and the debate that has been circling it can read more about it on the campaign website. The site describes GM foods as 'those that are altered at the molecular level in ways that could not happen naturally,' and claim that the 'generic make up [is] altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs.'
Just Label It informs readers that despite the arguments for GM foods - that they increase yield and drought tolerance and reduce the need for pesticides - the billions of dollars invested into investigation this has put forth no valid proof of these claims and health concerns remain.
TAKE ACTION: For those not certain that the petition will be sufficient enough in getting the message across to the FDA, it is important to note that the FDA are very concerned with consumer input and have been said to spend a sizeable about of time processing comments and petitions such as these. Your voice will be heard, and all you need to do is sign the petition. The site also includes a section on '8 things you can do' if you're concerned about the absence of labels on GM foods and don't want to sit around waiting for the FDA to act.
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