Since the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the 1990s, 70 to 80 percent of packaged grocery products contain some ingredients derived from genetically engineered, commercially cultivated crops like corn, soy and sugar beets– yet, New York consumers remain unaware of what is in the food the consume daily. The New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) believes that consumers have the right to know what is in their food so that they can make informed purchasing decisions. Recently, NYPIRG has advocated on behalf of consumers to help support legislative bill A-617, which requires the labeling of products produced with genetic engineering. The corporate food industry has fought hard to reject this legislation, spending thousands to lobby against the bill and promote the DARK Act in order to prevent future food labeling efforts.

Currently, there is no federal law requiring the identification of GMO foods and the U.S. FDA does not require safety studies of such foods, even though more than sixty U.S. trading partners have laws mandating such disclosure. Labeling GMOs will not only preserve the identity, quality and reliability of food products, but it will also prove beneficial to the state’s fiscal health and prevent corporate control of our food supply. The cultivation of genetically engineered crops can also pose serious environmental risks, while the use of a leading GMO herbicide, Roundup, deteriorates into harmful micro-toxins and has been declared a probable carcinogen. For these reasons, NYPIRG believes consumers should have the right to know how their food was produced and what it contains before they purchase it.

Due to the strong opposition to the bill, and the fact that other smaller states are looking toward New York to pass substantive food labeling policy, it is imperative that this bill reaches the NYS Senate floor. At NYPIRG, we need all the support we can get. If you care about your consumer rights, please call your local Senator David Valesky at (315) 478-8745 and tell him you want him to vote YES on the GMO labeling bill because you have a right to know what is in your food.

Charlotte Oestrich
Syracuse University ’18