Chapter 38 - Labeling of Genetically Modified Food in the United States

Abstract

On May 18, 1994, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made history. For the first time in its regulatory history, the FDA approved the commercialization of a genetically modified (GM) food. Known as the Flavr Savr tomato, the regulatory agency deemed it as beneficial to the consumer and safe for both human consumption and the environment. The next great leap beyond GM crops is already on the horizon, as the FDA is currently in the final stages to approve the commercialization of a biotechnology animal. In response to these developments, controversies about GM food and resistance to it, once virtually unheard and invisible to most of us, have mounted considerably throughout the United States. Whole Foods Market, Inc. has announced mandatory labeling of GM foods by the year of 2018 and across the nation, grassroots organizations have organized anti-GM foods campaigns or pressured legislatures to propose mandatory labeling laws. In light of these developments and the adoption of GM food labeling laws at the state level, the purpose of this chapter is to examine the current biotechnology debate and mandatory GM food labeling policies in the United States.