GM labelling bill – Opposition has tripled

It is no surprise that genetically modified food (GMO) manufacturers have long opposed the labelling of their products as such. Due to the perceived threat of stigma that may result as a product of the efforts of countless anti-GMO groups across the world, some of the world’s largest GMO producers, including Monsanto Co and DuPont, have vehemently opposed the labelling mandates that have been lobbied for by awareness groups for years.

 
What may come as surprise, however, is the extent to which funding from these groups has increased in order to ensure that their products remain “anonymous”. According to a recent study, it is estimated that over 27 million US dollars have been spent in the first six months of this year in by these GMO heavyweights to pay for various lobbying efforts working on their behalf.
 
The reasoning for this increased spending could be directly related to various global events that are currently occurring. In April of 2014, US Senator Mike Pompeo introduced a new bill that would effectively block past legislation requiring mandatory labeling of GMO products. Due to the fact that 20 new states are currently weighing the merits of similar legislation, GMO manufacturers have ramped up their efforts to ensure that they are not placed in a precarious situation.
 
Although there is no conclusive evidence that GMO products are capable of causing physical harm, this dubious “grey area’ is precisely why so many organisations have expressed their opposition to these products. According to some anti-GMO activists, the large volume of pesticides used on these products makes them potentially harmful to human consumers, regardless of the inner workings of the genetic modification. In addition to the efforts made by Monsanto and others, various other agricultural groups that rely upon GMOs to produce their own products have sued to block laws implementing mandatory GMO disclosure, stating that such discriminatory policies may harm their business over the long term.
 
By all standards of measure, it seems likely that the war on GMO products is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Until a concrete proof is found either refuting or supporting anti-GMO activist claims, it seems that this struggle will continue onwards.
 
 
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