LET'S PICK UP ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR THAT
BALANCED BREAKFAST EVERYONE IS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT.
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OKAY, LET'S EAT!
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BEFORE YOU DIG IN,
CAN YOU TELL WHICH OF THESE FOODS USED GENETIC ENGINEERING
DURING ITS PRODUCTION PROCESS?
IT MIGHT BE THE MILK.
THE COW IT CAME FROM COULD HAVE BEEN INJECTED WITH BST,
A GENETICALLY ENGINEERED HORMONE THAT BOOSTS MILK PRODUCTION.
OR IT COULD BE THE MUFFINS...
THE GRAIN USED TO MAKE THE FLOUR
COULD BE A VARIETY ENGINEERED TO RESIST PESTS.
THE CEREAL COULD USE THOSE SAME GRAINS TO MAKE THE FLAKES.
OR IS IT THE MARGARINE, WHICH CONTAINS SOY OIL?
MORE THAN HALF OF THE SOYBEANS PLANTED IN THE U.S. ARE
VARIETIES GENETICALLY ENGINEERED TO TOLERATE HERBICIDES.
SO WHICH ONE IS IT?
YOU CAN'T TELL BECAUSE CURRENTLY IN THE UNITED STATES
THE FDA DOESN'T REQUIRE FOODS THAT USE
GENETIC ENGINEERING IN THEIR PRODUCTION TO BE LABELED.
>> IN 1992 THE U.S. FEDERAL FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION,
THE FDA, MADE A RULING THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH
A LANDMARK RULING CONCERNING GMOs.
ON THE LABELING ISSUE, THEY SAID THAT
UNLESS THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE,
THERE DOES NOT NEED TO BE ANY LABELING.
>> THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION'S
OFFICIAL POLICY ON LABELING READS THIS WAY:
THE AGENCY IS NOT AWARE OF ANY INFORMATION SHOWING THAT FOODS
DERIVED BY THESE NEW METHODS, MEANING GENETIC ENGINEERING,
DIFFER FROM OTHER FOODS IN ANY MEANINGFUL OR UNIFORM WAY
OR THAT AS A CLASS, FOODS DEVELOPED BY THE NEW TECHNIQUES
PRESENT ANY DIFFERENT OR GREATER SAFETY CONCERN THAN
FOODS DEVELOPED BY TRADITIONAL PLANT BREEDING.
THE METHOD OF DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW PLANT VARIETY,
INCLUDING THE USE OF NEW TECHNIQUES,
INCLUDING RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNIQUES,
WOULD NOT USUALLY BE REQUIRED TO BE DISCLOSED IN LABELING FOR THE FOOD.
BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES THAT THE FOODS ARE THE SAME.
AN IOWA LAWYER ACTUALLY SUED THE FDA
TO GET THE FOODS OFF THE SHELVES.
HE SAYS THE FDA IGNORED THE FINDINGS
OF SOME OF THEIR OWN SCIENTISTS.
>> IT'S CLEAR THAT THE PREDOMINANT OPINION AMONG
THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION'S OWN SCIENTISTS THAT REVIEWED THE ISSUE WAS THAT
GENETIC ENGINEERING IS VERY DIFFERENT.
IN FACT, ONE OF THE OFFICIALS AT THE FDA WHOSE JOB IT WAS
TO SUMMARIZE THE INPUT FROM THEIR SCIENTISTS
STATED IN A MEMO TO THE BIOTECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR,
"THE PROCESSES OF GENETIC ENGINEERING AND TRADITIONAL BREEDING ARE DIFFERENT
AND, ACCORDING TO THE TECHNICAL EXPERTS IN THE AGENCY,
THEY LEAD TO DIFFERENT RISKS."
>> THOSE RISKS ARE WHAT CONCERN MANY PEOPLE.
THEY FEAR THAT GROWING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS
COULD AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND PLANTS AND ANIMALS LIVING THERE.
ANOTHER CONCERN IS THAT THE FOODS WILL TRIGGER
ALLERGIC REACTIONS IN PEOPLE OR ANIMALS THAT EAT THEM.
BECAUSE THERE IS NO LONG-TERM TESTING REQUIRED BY THE FDA FOR THESE FOODS,
LABELING IS SEEN BY SOME
AS A WAY TO TRACK ANY EFFECTS OF THE FOODS.
SOME EVEN SEE LABELING AS A BASIC CONSUMER RIGHT.
>> IT SEEMS TO ME LABELING IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT
THAT CONSUMERS SHOULD HAVE.
AFTER ALL, WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY
AND PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION.
THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU CAN HAVE ADEQUATE ACCESS TO INFORMATION
IN TERMS OF HOW YOUR FOOD WAS PRODUCED IS IF YOU HAVE
SOME KIND OF LABEL THAT SAYS HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED.
IF SOMEONE DOES GET ILL AND THE FOOD IS NOT LABELED,
THERE'S NO WAY TO TRACK IT.
IF SOMEONE COMES DOWN WITH AN ALLERGY
AND THE FOOD HASN'T BEEN LABELED AND THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW
WHETHER THE FOOD THEY ATE WAS A GENETICALLY ENGINEERED VARIETY,
HOW DO YOU TRACK THAT?
SO THEN YOU REALLY CAN'T PROTECT FUTURE CONSUMERS FROM THAT,
SO I THINK LABELING IS ESSENTIAL.
>> IF THE REGULATORY AGENCIES DID AGREE TO A LABELING SYSTEM
FOR FOODS THAT USED GENETIC ENGINEERING,
HOW WOULD THAT SYSTEM FUNCTION
AND WHERE WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE?
>> WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT THE PRODUCT?
WHERE DO YOU STOP?
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU LABEL --
HOW WOULD YOU LABEL BEEF OR PORK THAT IS PRODUCED IN PART
BY FEEDING GRAIN THAT WAS IN PART BIOTECH GRAIN?
HOW DO YOU DO THAT,
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE THE MECHANISM FOR DETECTING
THE USE OF BIOTECH PRODUCTS IN THE CREATION OF LIVESTOCK?
WE DON'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY YET, SO HOW WOULD YOU LABEL --
WHAT WOULD YOU LABEL?
>> IT'S NOT JUST AN ISSUE FOR POLITICIANS AND FOOD PRODUCERS.
KID CONSUMERS HAVE DEFINITE OPINIONS ABOUT FOOD THEY EAT AND HOW IT'S MADE.
>> I'M IN FAVOR OF LABELING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD,
BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW.
>> PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO KNOW WHAT WAS ON IT AND WHAT'S IN IT
BECAUSE THEY COULD BE ALLERGIC TO IT.
>> I'M FOR IT AND AGAINST IT.
>> COMPANIES ALREADY HAVE THEIR LABELS DONE,
AND IT WILL COST THEM MONEY.
>> I THINK THAT IF YOU RELABELED EVERYTHING,
IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER.
>> IT WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ME TO SEE THAT
IT WAS GENETICALLY ENGINEERED IN SOME WAY.
>> I THINK SOMETHING LITTLE WOULD BE ENOUGH.
>> WE NEED TO BE SPECIFIC
AND NEED TO SAY WHAT'S IN IT AND HOW IT WAS PRODUCED.
>> I WOULD PUT, LIKE,
AND PUT A NUMBER YOU COULD CALL WHERE IT'S A RECORDED MESSAGE.
>> I DON'T WANT IT TO BE LIKE A WARNING.
>> IT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE A WARNING.
IT WOULD JUST LET YOU KNOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FOODS.
>> IT MIGHT SCARE SOME PEOPLE INTO NOT BUYING THAT STUFF
IF THEY HAVE "GENETICALLY ENGINEERED" ON THE LABEL.
>> IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL, BECAUSE IT'S BASICALLY ABOUT THE SAME.
>> YOU SHOULD JUST GO WITH THE NUTRITIONAL FACTS,
BECAUSE THEY TELL YOU THE FAT, THE CALORIES, THE SATURATED FAT.
DOWN THERE WITH ALL THAT AND THE VITAMINS AND STUFF,
THEY COULD PUT, "THIS IS GENETICALLY ENGINEERED."
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW.
>> RIGHT NOW MOST OF THE TRAITS BEING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED INTO FOODS
ARE ON THE PRODUCTION SIDE, MEANING THEY BENEFIT THE FARMER.
THE TRAITS MAKE THE FARMER MORE PRODUCTIVE
OR MORE EFFICIENT OR LOWER COSTS.
BUT THERE ARE CONSUMER TRAITS BEING DEVELOPED TOO...
TRAITS THAT DIRECTLY BENEFIT YOU,
MAKING YOUR FOOD MORE FLAVORFUL OR MORE NUTRITIOUS.
SO WHAT KINDS OF TRAITS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE DEVELOPED?