Dive Brief:
- The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA) has expanded its website, GMO Fact Check, to share information regarding the safety of genetically-modified ingredients for foods and beverages and their impact on the environment, according to a news release.
- GMO Fact Check's stance opposes biotech industry claims, saying the recently passed GMO labeling law does not adequately inform consumers about the products they buy. It also says GMO crops contaminate organic crops, and that GMOs are not necessarily safe to consume.
- "Industry giants like Monsanto and Bayer are essentially buying scientists, and are spending untold sums in propaganda and advertising trying to convince the public that GMOs are necessary and safe,” ANH-USA executive and legal director Gretchen DuBeau said in a statement. "However, the scientific literature simply does not support their contentions... Our GMO Fact Check campaign combats the exaggerations, misrepresentations, and outright falsehoods of biotech’s public relations blitz."
Dive Insight:
Congress has already passed the national mandatory GMO labeling law, which includes a provision for manufacturers to use a QR code, such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association's SmartLabel, to share GMO information with consumers. Public health advocates have taken issue with this provision, saying it discriminates against groups of consumers who may not have access to QR-code-reading technology. But QR code advocates argue that manufacturers can share more information and be more transparent than they could be using only text on their product label.
GMO labeling and QR codes were vigorously debated in Washington this year, but since the law was signed by President Obama, the issue has been nearly absent from political discourse. However, the non-political arm of the federal government is currently working on the issue. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains that GMOs are safe. But as the opposition grows louder and adds more research to back their claims about GMOs, the agency could choose to revisit its position in the future, as it has for various term definitions and its stance on fats and sugars.
With sites like GMO Fact Check running alongside SmartLabel and other industry transparency efforts, it will be critical for manufacturers to monitor consumer sentiment toward GMOs and how public opinion may change based on informational and marketing campaigns. If sites like GMO Fact Check were to have an impact, manufacturers may need to adjust their strategies for promoting use of GMOs. Or manufacturers may consider reducing or eliminating GMO usage altogether to remain relevant in a more health-conscious environment.