How about your right to know what you are eating when you eat genetically engineered food? As of right now, the FDA does not require labeling for these foods.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization that uses public information to protect public health and the environment, these foods have been altered at the molecular level. They are appearing on supermarket shelves with increasing frequency – in fact, 94 percent of all U.S.-grown soybeans are genetically engineered!
Environmental Working Group thinks this is wrong. That’s why they have joined forces with more than 300 organizations to launch the Just Label It campaign and tell the federal Food and Drug Administration that Americans have the right to know when they’re eating genetically engineered food.
EWG cautions that the issue is not just fresh produce.
According to the Congressional Research Service, 60 to 70 percent of processed foods available in American grocery stores likely contain some genetically engineered ingredients. These ingredients are prevalent in many products you may buy every day, including breakfast cereals, cookies, chips, sweetened soda, frozen meals and more.
EWG believes that the scientific debate about the benefits and risks of genetically engineered crops will continue for a long time. In a recent email I received, they advise that an entire generation will have grown up consuming genetically engineered food. EWG believes that we should all have the right to participate – or not – in this sweeping experiment with our bodies and our environment.
Several polls and surveys have found that the vast majority of Americans want genetically engineered foods to be labeled. Many other countries including Japan, Australia, the European Union and even China require labeling of genetically engineered foods.
