t the current FDA policy requiring a label only if nutritional or allergen content has been significantly altered. Labels have never had to describe the development processes of the plant, only the final product; the proposed changes would require rethinking the entire system of labeling now in place. Opponents feel that requiring labels for GM plants could mislead consumers into thinking that they have been shown to have different health effects than natural plants; since there is no evidence that this is true, it would be an unfair imposition of the government to require labeling (“Accurate . . .”)Current FDA policy states that genetically engineered food is not intrinsically dangerous, and what is important is the final product rather than the method used to produce it (“Gene-Altered . . .”). Many European countries, however, have been stricter in their dealings with GM organisms; several of them have even placed five-year moratoriums on the approval of new bioengineered crops. To try to resolve differences in dealing with GM products, a conference of 170 nations met on February 15-24 of this year; however, the talks broke down over the topic of whether a drafted treaty would apply to all products containing GM organisms or just the organisms themselves. The delegates agreed to reconvene in May of 2000, and try to work out a final solution at that point (“Genetic . . .”). This means that, at least for now, each country has its own regulations concerning bioengineered crops, making trade difficult. Perhaps by the time talks resume minds will have changed, so that a uniform treaty can be signed into law.For the most part, as of this point there is no solid evidence to either prove or disprove allegations that GM plants could cause environmental damage and/or harm humans in the long run. It is an indisputable fact that the risks do exist, and that once a GM plant is grown in the wild there is ...
