You’ve probably heard news reports that GMOs are safe to eat, but
the fact is, genetically engineering our food supply carries risks to
farmers, the environment, and people living near the fields that are
heavily sprayed with the herbicide RoundUp, which the World Health
Organization recently said is a probable human carcinogen.
Furthermore, the government approves GMOs for the food supply based on
data submitted by the companies that want to sell them. That doesn’t
sound “safe” to us. Meanwhile, most GMOs are engineered to
withstand exposure to powerful weedkillers or produce their own
pesticides. In fact, most of these crops are used in animal
feed—which fuels factory farms. Learn more about how the industry
“greenwashes” GMO crops. There is No Consensus On GMO Safety The
same media reports touting the safety of GMOs ignore a growing portion
of the scientific community that says they are far from safe and
criticize the weak regulatory system that is designed to not find
safety problems. Learn about why there is no consensus regarding the
safety of GMOs—in fact, the evidence shows a potential for harm,
especially to our environment. Many Countries Label GMOs. Why
Doesn’t The U.S.? People in over 60 countries across the world have
the ability to choose whether or not they buy GMO foods, because
labeling is required. But not here in the U.S., where powerful
interests lobby to keep us in the dark about what we’re eating.
Learn more about our work to require GMO labeling. Promoting GMOs
Abroad The U.S. government also works on behalf of the industry to
promote GMOs around the world, often over the opposition of the public
and even governments. Agricultural development is essential for the
developing world to foster sustainable economies, enhance food
security to combat global hunger and increase resiliency to climate
change but that’s not what biotechnology companies are promoting.
Genetically Engineered Animals? The GMO controversy doesn’t end at
the fields. Genetically engineered (GE) salmon has been approved by
the FDA—but the fish could present serious risks to consumer health,
animal welfare, wild fish populations, fishing economies and the
environment. That's all on top of potentially diminishing the
nutrition and taste of salmon, one of the most popular and important
fish in the American diet. Meanwhile, a British company wants to cash
in on genetically engineered mosquitos, marketing it as a means of
controlling dengue fever. But GE insects are inherently risky and
cannot be truly regulated — not to mention there is a lack of public
support and an inability to prove that this science experiment would
actually prevent disease transmission.
