National GMO Labeling Standard?

The food world has been abuzz for the past several years in response to the increasing percentage of foods that are genetically modified (GMO).

Despite the fact that almost 90 percent of America’s corn and soybeans are genetically modified, there has been no requirement for companies to state on their label whether their product is GMO. That may change. According to Capital Public Radio, California and other states are now taking the fight for mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods to the federal level. Proponents for the labeling are pushing for a national standard to avoid state-by-state variances and confusion among consumers. Large food companies are trying to get ahead of the congressional game by proposing voluntary food labels. This way, companies could make the decision for themselves whether or not to use the labels as some groups such as Grocery Manufacturers Association fear that mandatory labels would mislead consumers into thinking that engineered ingredients are unsafe.

So what might mandatory labeling legislation mean for food producers? For one, there is likely to be a push for non-GMO agriculture in response to consumer demands. One example is companies like Whole Foods who now says it shelves more than 3,000 products that are certified non-GMO. And Illinois farmer Lynn Clarkson, who has been in the grain business for 40 years, describes his GMO free practices as a means to support the values his customers have expressed. Clarkson, and other GMO free farmers, are leading the trend in attention to consumer wants, needs, and preferences.

This post was prepared by William Mitchell College of Law student Alison Schmidt.