Genetically Modified Food: Should It Be Labeled?

Pennsylvania could become the first state to require food manufacturers to disclose if their products have been genetically modified.

Bill Proposes Mandatory Labeling

A bill proposed in Harrisburg by state Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery, Delaware) would require all food manufacturers in the state to label any foods that contained genetically modified organisms (GMOs). If passed, Pennsylvania would be the first state to require such labeling for foods.

DNA alterations can make organic materials more hardy or resistant. Critics say the results of these experiments should be studied before products are introduced to the general public.

While there is “some potential good” to genetic modification in food, Leach said, people “have the right to know what foods do and do not contain genetically engineered ingredients."

Leach’s bill does not include language to outlaw the use of GMOs or limit their distribution, but simply to alert consumers to which products contain GMOs.

Grocery Store Wants Labeling

Whole Foods Market agrees that consumers should know if their food contains GMOs. The grocery chain has set a deadline of 2018, by which time all its products must be labeled as to whether or not they contain GMOs.

Currently, the chain lists products it sells that it has verified do not contain GMOs.

Here are the lists for local stores:

• Wynnewood location: Non-GMO Verified Products
• Devon location: Non-GMO Verified Products

Do you care about GMOs in your food? Is it important for GMOs to be labeled in what you buy? Are you worried about eating modified foods? Tell us in the comments.