The Senate failed to pass an amendment that would create a national policy of labeling foods containing genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Congress was forced to move on the issue after the Vermont legislature passed a law requiring all food and beverages sold in the state to carry a label if any ingredients were produced by genetic engineering. Without federal guidance, food companies are at the mercy of whatever patchwork laws the states cobble together. Sold as consumers “right to know” about their food, the real purpose of the Vermont law is to scare customers into buying pricier organic food by making them afraid of a safe technology.
Genetically modified crops are scientifically designed to enhance certain properties in a plant. Plants can be made pest-resistant or more nutritious, for example.
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