Labelling of GM foods becoming hot potato in US

The campaign in the US to put labels on food containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, is gaining ground, particulary in the Northeast. The states of Maine and Connecticut passed labelling laws earlier this year, though they won't take effect unless more states do the same. And GMO labelling is on the ballot in Washington State this November.

In the US, an estimated 70 per cent of the food consumed contains at least some GMO ingredients; and opponents of the move argue that the GMO label would suddenly become ubiquitous on most grocery shelves.

The foes of genetic engineering hope America's experience will mirror Europe's. GMO food in Europe has to be labelled, and marketers are wary of consumer backlash. So GMO foods are rare. But in contrast, Americans have been eating GMO foods since 1996.

Critics of genetically modified food say GMOs haven't been tested enough; but the verdict of mainstream science is that they're safe to eat. Just last month, Scientific American ran an editorial emphasizing this point and decrying "unfounded fears."

Opponents of such labelling say Americans have been eating GM foods for years without showing any adverse effects; and moreover there is already the 'organic' label that the fastidious can go to.

But proponents of mandatory labelling say that's not enough. Andrew Stout, founder of Full Circle farm, an organic produce company outside Seattle, says people who don't have access to organic food - or can't afford it - still deserve to know whether they're eating GMOs.

On the other hand, opponents of mandatory labelling say the extra effort would increase the price of food by an average of $450 a year for a family of four.

While an independent study by the Washington State Academy of Sciences agreed that labelling would come with a cost, it noted that it's impossible to calculate how much that cost would be.

Given the prevalence of GMO ingredients in American food, some manufacturers may skip the cost of keeping things segregated, and simply slap a GMO label on everything.

That option may become especially attractive if it turns out consumers aren't put off by the label.