NEWS

How the GMO labeling law will affect Colorado shoppers

Jacy Marmaduke
jmarmaduke@coloradoan.com
A federal law will bring GMO labeling to Colorado in the next few years.

A federal bill signed into law in July requires labeling of genetically modified foods, which are foods from plants or animals that have had genes copied from other plants or animals inserted into their DNA. If you're wondering how it’ll play out in Colorado, here’s what you need to know about the new law:

What does the law do?

It requires most food manufacturers (small manufacturers are exempt) to put a text label, symbol or QR code on food packaging indicating whether it contains genetically modified ingredients.

What still needs to be worked out?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has two years to come up with exact labeling requirements. One point of contention is how to label products that contain things like soybean oil or beet sugar, two ingredients derived from genetically modified crops but that don’t contain any genetically modified material.

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What are concerns regarding the law?

The law will preempt stricter labeling laws in Vermont and a few other states. Plus, the QR code part of the law means shoppers would need a smartphone, wireless internet connection and a code-reading app to determine whether products contain genetically modified ingredients, which angered people who were calling for more transparent text-based labels. On the other side, supporters of genetically modified foods argue the labeling law falsely implies that GM food is unsafe to consume.

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How much of what I buy at the store contains GM ingredients?

Food industry estimates range from 75 to 80 percent. Three genetically modified crops — soybeans, corn and sugar beets — are responsible for the vast majority of those percentages because their derivatives are omnipresent in processed foods.

What crops are most likely to be genetically modified and why?

Only eight genetically modified crops are commercially available in the U.S.: corn, soybeans, sugar beets, cotton, canola, alfalfa, papaya and squash. The number is relatively small because it’s more economically viable for growers to plant genetically modified crops in vast acreages, said Pat Byrne, a Colorado State University professor of plant engineering and genetics. Corn, alfalfa and sugar beets all have genetically modified variants resistant to glyphosate (most notably found in Roundup), an inexpensive and readily used herbicide, so the genetically modified version is a cost-effective option for farmers.

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What GM crops are grown in Colorado?

Corn, alfalfa and sugar beets have the genetically modified market cornered, according to Byrne. Corn and alfalfa are predominantly used to feed livestock, while sugar beets are used to make sugar. The pulp from sugar beets goes to livestock. So if you eat a lot of locally raised meats, you’re probably consuming genetically modified food indirectly.

What’s next for genetically modified foods?

Byrne thinks the number of commercially available genetically modified crops will grow — a non-browning form of genetically modified potato will likely be on the market soon, he said — but he expects growth will be mirrored in conventional and organic food markets.

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