Why are GM Foods Not Labeled?
Genetically modified food, also known as GM food or genetically engineered food, entered the food supply in the 1990s. GM foods contain small pieces of foreign DNA (from other organisms and often from another species) however SA companies are not required to label foods that use GM ingredients. The foreign DNA in GM foods is engineered into the food in hopes of producing desirable traits like resistance to herbicides and pesticides, or resistance to specific pests. Insect-resistant maize, for example, is modified by inserting a bacterium gene that produces toxins and acts as an insecticide. Others have a gene that makes them indestructible when sprayed with certain herbicides. The pro-GM faction – mainly GM seed producers such as Monsanto, Du Pont, Dow, Bayer and Syngenta – say GM increases crop yields, reduces farming costs and increases food security for developing countries. In regards to GM potatoes, the seed developers claim that they are better for our health & the environment be
