Election News on GMO Labeling and GMO Seeds; the New GMO Potato

Perhaps you think there's no connection between elections and food--except for the fact that folks snack more when they stay up late to wait for election results.  If you think that, you probably don't live in Oregon or Colorado.  In both states, food (to be specific, "genetically modified organisms" printed on food labels) was on the ballot. We'll tell you about the outcome of the voting, the cost of the initiative, and the issues.  Then we'll touch briefly on Hawaii's vote on genetically modified seeds and the USDA's recent ruling on GM potatoes.

GMOS: WORTH LISTING OR NOT?

Election results:

The NPR blog the Salt provided this data:  Voters in Colorado "resoundingly rejected the labeling of foods that contain derivatives of genetically modified--or GMO--crops, with 66 percent voting against, versus 34 percent in favor."

In Oregon the outcome was closer, with 51 percent voting against the measure."  Those in favor were 1.2% behind those opposed, according to oregonlive.com. 

In both states, these ballot initiatives were incredibly expensive--in fact, the costliest ballot initiative on record for both states. 

Safety:

Some people want to avoid eating GMOs because they fear that there may be harmful effects from them, either short term or long term. To read a discussion of this topic, go to "Is Genetically Engineered Food Safe? Should “GE” Be on Food Labels?" None of scientists that Shelf Life Advice asked about this risk were concerned about this since most American adults (strict organic eaters excepted) have been eating GMOs, usually without even realizing it, for almost 2 decades.  All seem to agree that there is no reliable evidence that GM foods are harmful. However, Dr. J. Lynne Brown, Ph.D. (an expert on GMOs) points out that no trustworthy long-term studies have been conducted on this question.  She concludes, "Thus, the question of the safety of long-term consumption is still not answered.”'

Although GMOs are in most of our processed foods, they're not in much of our whole foods, such as produce.  However, some varieties of sweet corn, squash, and papaya have been approved for sale in the U.S.

Money:

Opponents of GMO labeling say it would be expensive and would add to the cost of processed foods.  Of those who are fighting for labeling, some say the cost to consumers would be only about $2.30 a year.

However, opponents say the cost to the food industry would be considerable.  Don't think the only expense of GMO labeling is printing new labels.  Tracking down all GMO foods (including those that contained only minute amounts of GM products) could be a costly project, some argue. Most processed foods sold in grocery stores contain GMOs.  To find them all would be quite a job. The NPR blog The Salt says this: "Many processed foods contain soybean oil, corn syrup, refined sugar, and cottonseed oil.  Those oils and syrups are often derived from GMO crops that farmers have adapted over the last 18 years." 

Supporters of labeling resent the massive amounts of money that some big food companies have poured into opposition. According to oregonlive.com, opponents of the measure spent about $20 million compared to the backers' $8 million.  Where did all this money come from? Big contributors to the opposition included Coca Cola, Kraft, Pepsi, and Monsanto, according to this aljazeera.com article.  

In Colorado, supporters of labeling raised about $900,000.  Their opposition raised about $17 million!

Consumers' right to know:

Individuals and groups who want the label argue less about safety these days and more about their right to know what they're eating.  Opponents of labeling say that those who want to avoid GMOs can do so by purchasing organic products, which cannot contain GMOs.  The response to that argument is that organic food is often more expensive than non-organic.

Opponents of labeling say that the label would just confuse consumers, leading them to believe that GMOs are dangerous when there's no evidence to support this idea.  Still, to reassure customers, some food manufacturers are now labeling packages with these words:  non-GMO.

WHERE IS THE GMO LABELING ISSUE GOING?

We don't think it's going away.  Yes, we know that food labels are getting quite crowded these days, and you may find yourself spending more time in the supermarket perusing labels. If you're really thoughtful, you may go home buying nothing processed at all, but if you're busy juggling work and family, you may consider courses or whole meals that come out of a frozen carton are a godsend.  If you use processed food but feel strongly about avoiding GMOs, this battle about labeling should be important to you. 

Initiatives similar to those just voted on in Colorado and Oregon were defeated in California (in 2012) and Washington (in 2013).  On the other hand, in Vermont, the nation's first GMO labeling law was signed by the governor this past summer (2014), but, says the Salt, "a coalition of biotech firms and farmer groups have filed suit to prevent that from happening." 

Here's what NPR's the Salt says: "Even with a down vote in Colorado, don't expect a dramatic shift in the debate around genetically modified crops. Labeling proponents say the elections have been bought, not just in Colorado but in California and Washington state as well, and vow to keep trying. Earlier this year, the Grocery Manufacturers Association – which includes members like Kraft and Pepsi — proposed its own voluntary national labeling standard, but that effort has yet to gain any significant traction at the federal level."

To read more about GMO issues, just type "GMO" or "GE" into the "search" box on the home page of Shelf Life Advice.  You'll even find discussion of genetically engineered salmon!

HAWAII AND GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SEEDS

"Put your money where your mouth is," a well-known saying advises. Well, to defeat an anti-GMO initiative in Hawaii, opponents (including Monsanto and Dow) raised almost $8 million, more than any other campaign in Hawaii's history.  Nevertheless, the measure passed (50% to 48%) by a mere 1,077 votes, according to civilbeat.com.  Although opponents outspent advocates more than 87 to 1 (spending $300 for every "no" vote) this Maui County ballot initiative squeaked out a victory for local residents fighting gigantic global agriculture companies.

This initiative was about seeds. The Maui County measure will seek "to impost a temporary moratorium on genetically engineered crops until the county analyzes their impact on the county's public health and environment," civilbeat.com says.   That would bring to a standstill the majority of the farming being done by Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences in Maui County. 

Opponents of this ban have warned Maui residents that the measure could lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs and devastate their economy. Nevertheless, the Maui ballot measure is just part of the state's fight against GMO crops.  Civilbeat.com says, "The Maui County ballot measure is part of a growing movement against genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) across Hawaii that’s resulted in more stringent regulations on the biotech industry on Kauai and the Big Island."

A GMO POTATO APPROVED BY USDA

Huffington Post recently alerted us to USDA's recent approval of the "commercial planting of a potato that is genetically modified to resist bruising and to produce less of a chemical that has caused cancer in animals."  (Potatoes cooked at high temperatures produce acrylamide, a chemical that's also suspected of causing cancer in humans.)

The Boise, Idaho-based firm J.R. Simplot Co., a major supplier of French fries and other potato products to fast food restaurants, developed this new potato.  The USDA has already approved other genetically modified forms of other crops, for example, corn and soybeans.

Source(s): 

oregonlive.com "Measure 92 on mandatory GMO labeling still too close to call..."

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/measure_92_on_mandatory_gmo_la.html - incart_most-read

oregonlive.com "Measure 92, GMO-labeling initiative, fails narrowly: Oregon election results 2014"

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/measure_92_gmo-labeling_initia.html

npr.org/blogs/the salt "Colorado, Oregon Reject GMO Labeling"

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/11/05/361750308/colorado-says-no-as-gmo-labeling-continues-to-stumble-at-ballot-box

aljazeeera.com/blogs/scrutineer "As Oregon voters weigh GMO initiative, ‘Big Food’ puts thumb on the scale"

http://america.aljazeera.com/blogs/scrutineer/2014/10/20/gmo-oregon-initiative.html

civilbeat.com "1,000 Votes: Maui GMO Farming Ban Squeaks By"

http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/11/1000-votes-maui-gmo-farming-ban-squeaks-by/

huffingtonpost.com "USDA Approves GMO Potato Designed by Simplot"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/usda-gmo-potato-simplot_n_6125014.html

J. Lynne Brown, Ph.D., R.D., Pennsylvania State University, Dept. of Food Science; nutrition specialist for the PSU Cooperative Extension system (now emeritus)