Tag: education

The Passing of GMO Labeling Law: The Results So Far

When Obama passed a GMO labeling law in July, it became the first bill of this kind in history. The law itself was two years in the making, it will follow Vermont’s GMO labeling law and it will go country-wide. The law received mixed opinions by both politicians and the public that demanded more rigid and strict rules. To put it as shortly as possible, GMO labeling law requires some sort of insignia, whether a label or a QR code stating that a product contains GMO ingredients.

Vermont is the first US state that passed a GMO labeling law. Every company is required to disclose all the data about the possible GMO ingredients in each they sell in this state. Even though this law is exactly what the public wants (as a matter of fact, 90% or surveyed citizens clearly stated that they wish to know if there are GMO ingredients in the foods they are buying), it seems that Vermont’s GMO labeling law has a couple of flaws.

QR Codes

QR codes weren’t a part of the labeling law in the first place but Obama’s revised version supports them and now QR codes are allowed as well. So in order to find out all the ingredients in a product, you have to scan a code with your smartphone. This decision received a lot of criticism from the public due to the fact that not everyone has time to scan each product separately and it can get a bit tiresome. It is a waste of time for many shoppers and despite the general presumption, smartphones are not so common.

So the GMO labeling law became almost useless even though it was a great idea in the beginning. Transparency is very important when it comes to the relationship between GMO products and the consumers. The United States already produces large quantities of GMO foods that are sold on a daily basis. The research of the GMO ingredients that can be found in certain foods did not show any negative results, but people are still a bit wary about the genetically modified foods they might be consuming.

This distrust for the certain food manufacturing companies comes from the fear of the unknown. So in order to gain more support from the public, food manufacturers should disclose the ingredients regardless of their origin. This is the best way to teach the public about GMO foods and show them there is nothing to fear. Believe it or not, a vast number of people are not even aware they consume GMO products every single day and they might even claim that they eat organic foods. Education of the consumers is everything if we want to move on and develop more efficient and pest resistant food products that will be cheaper and easier to produce, and full disclosure is crucial. So GMO labeling law looks like something that will aid this mission. However, it seems that the public is not in favor of QR codes, so we should simply wait and see how many companies will use them on their products.

Bill Nye and the Changing Opinions on GMO Products

Bill Nye, the science guy is a well-known face all around the globe and he is the most famous tv researcher who made his career through educating generations and generations of children through his tv show. He wrote numerous books and still appears on television and various talk shows. As a matter of fact, he made his new startling revelation on Bill Maher’s HBO show.

The science guy was very vocal on criticizing GMO and Monsanto in both his written works and tv appearances. However, he told Bill Maher that he has completely changed his views on this issue. After visiting Monsanto and their research facilities, Bill was extremely impressed by the amount of care with which the scientists approach this field of study and now he claims that GMO foods are completely safe for consumption.

He even told Bill Maher that he will revise all of the chapters in his books that criticize GMO and update and rewrite them using his newly acquired knowledge on the topic. Nye spent a lot of time with the researchers at Monsanto laboratories and he absolutely loved what he saw there. He is certain that GMO foods are the future for the mankind and that the rest of the world will see the benefits very soon.

However, recent polls have discovered that the opinions on the safety of GMO foods vary in terms of the education. We are already familiar with the information that around 88% of world’s scientists say that GMO foods are not harmful to human bodies or the environment and that they can only benefit the population.

That certainly can be true because we have already encountered plenty of obstacles in the organic production of various foods, and using GMO seeds vastly improves the production rates and the quality of the crops. The newest data shows that people who are more educated are less likely to have a sense of distrust when it comes to GMO products. The general opinion is changing and we are showing more and more support towards the GMO research and production.

Just like Bill Nye, the people are seeing why it is a good thing and why we need to invest our knowledge and resources into developing GMO foods even further. The fact that we are capable of modifying a living plant tells a lot about the level of technological advancement we have reached so far and even though we have to test the effects further, it is already a huge step forward in the food production.

The criticism of GMO and claims that the effects it has on humans are severe and dangerous mostly come from the people who are not well versed in the science, or haven’t attended college or post graduate programs. Perhaps their beliefs come from the lack of information or they are simply conservative and not ready to accept new technologies.

Having in mind that Bill Nye was skeptical about GMO but managed to change his mind completely and rethink his previous claims shows that we are taking a huge step forward when it comes to GMO and biotechnology. Sure, we still need various GMO laws and guidelines until we can say for sure that GMO production is not harming humans, animals, or the environment. But until then, we have to keep an open mind and allow the research to be done.

Monsanto’s scientists are doing their best to explore and test the GMO products they are working on. Bill Nye is most certainly convinced by their efforts. We simply need to give them some space and time to further improve their discoveries.