Genetically modifying seeds to produce herbicide-resistant plants that increase crop yields has revolutionized modern agriculture. However, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have come under fire in recent years, with consumer groups calling for mandatory GMO labeling on all food packages that contain GMO ingredients. GMO labeling laws have been in force in the European Union and other countries for several years, but the threat to the U.S. food industry is only now surfacing. Although bills requiring GMO labeling have been introduced in many state legislatures, Vermont is the only state where such a law has so far withstood the first round of legal battles from the industry. Leading chemical companies, including Monsanto, BASF, and DuPont, are the world’s largest suppliers of seeds that grow the food that feeds the world. To counter the GMO labeling threat, they now are turning to mutagenesis as an alternative technique to create herbicide-resistant crops. Mutagenesis mimics the sun’s irradiation of plants to create similar results to GMO techniques but with virtually no regulation. Some scientists claim mutant crops created from this process are likely to create even greater health risks than genetic modification. Seed companies see it as a way around the threat of GMO labeling requirements as consumer package-goods marketers put pressure on suppliers for non-GMO ingredients. Debate whether it is ethical for seed manufacturers to replace one controversial technique (genetic engineering) with another (mutagenesis) to avoid regulatory threats.
Genetically modifying seeds to produce herbicide-resistant plants that increase crop yields has revolutionized modern agriculture. However, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have come under fire in recent years, with consumer groups calling for mandatory GMO labeling on all food packages that contain GMO ingredients. GMO labeling laws have been in force in the European Union and other countries for several years, but the threat to the U.S. food industry is only now surfacing. Although bills requiring GMO labeling have been introduced in many state legislatures, Vermont is the only state where such a law has so far withstood the first round of legal battles from the industry. Leading chemical companies, including Monsanto, BASF, and DuPont, are the world’s largest suppliers of seeds that grow the food that feeds the world. To counter the GMO labeling threat, they now are turning to mutagenesis as an alternative technique to create herbicide-resistant crops. Mutagenesis mimics the sun’s irradiation of plants to create similar results to GMO techniques but with virtually no regulation. Some scientists claim mutant crops created from this process are likely to create even greater health risks than genetic modification. Seed companies see it as a way around the threat of GMO labeling requirements as consumer package-goods marketers put pressure on suppliers for non-GMO ingredients. Debate whether it is ethical for seed manufacturers to replace one controversial technique (genetic engineering) with another (mutagenesis) to avoid regulatory threats.
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