In 1987, science fiction became reality. In this reality, what exactly constituted “food” changed, and consumers have since been left in the dark about what they eat.
As the world watches and waits for the results of the 2012 presidential election, Proposition 37 in California, which would mandate the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), has been largely ignored.
A quick rundown of statistics is startling: 88 percent of U.S. corn, 90 percent of canola, 90 percent of cotton and 94 percent of soy are genetically modified. This results in a supermarket where over 70 percent of the products contain GMOs.
That statistic is worth repeating: more than 70 percent of foods in the United States are genetically modified. The future has arrived, and it is all around us.
The science fiction began at Calgene, a biotech firm now owned by Monsanto, whose scientists opened the door to a new food and agricultural revolution. The Green Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s increased crop yields and expanded the industrialized the food system, fundamentally changing food at the molecular level.
Calgene created the Flavr Savr tomato, the first commercial GMO. This tomato unleashed a wave of genetic modification that has resulted in a food system dominated by GMOs.
GMOs have been designed to resist pesticides sprayed on fields, ironically allowing more to be sprayed, have longer shelf lives, be more tolerant to stress and even contain pesticides within the plant itself.
The benefits have been unparalleled food production in the U.S. The costs are an uncertain future of food and unintended consequences for both humans and the environment.
While there must be a separate argument about the effects of GMOs in relation to intellectual property, seed prices, health and the potential to form superweeds (which has already occurred), the discussion facing voters is far simpler.
If we understand food as a fundamental right to all people, the right to know what is in our food must also be accepted.
Fifty countries around the world, including Japan, India and China, already require the labeling of GMOs, and many of these countries restrict their use. The development of GMOs has the potential to be one of the greatest technological advances in food and agriculture in the 21st century.
However, the greatest problem regarding GMOs has been transparency. Monsanto and other large companies conduct their own studies on GMOs, limit the distribution of their data and results (because it is “proprietary”) and are ultimately left to regulate themselves. Large companies such as Monsanto, DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg and General Mills have combined to raise $47 million to fight Proposition 37.
The adage “you are what you eat” has taken on an entirely new meaning in the age of GMOs, and it is essential that products be labeled so that consumers know what exactly is in them. It is their right.