The Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently adopted a policy on the labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods, which in part states that,
“In order to receive regulatory approval in the US, each new GM crop must be subjected to rigorous analysis and testing. It must be shown to be the same as the parent crop from which it was derived and if a new protein trait has been added, the protein must be shown to be neither toxic nor allergenic. As a result and contrary to popular misconceptions, GM crops are the most extensively tested crops ever added to our food supply. There are occasional claims that feeding GM foods to animals causes aberrations ranging from digestive disorders, to sterility, tumors, and premature death. Although such claims are often sensationalized and receive a great deal of media attention, none have stood up to rigorous scientific scrutiny. Indeed, a recent review of a dozen well-designed long-term animal feeding studies comparing GM and non-GM potatoes, soy, rice, corn, and triticale found that the GM and their non-GM counterparts are nutritionally equivalent.
It is the long-standing policy of the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) that special labeling of a food is required if the absence of the information provided poses a special health or environmental risk. The US FDA does not require labeling of a food based on the specific genetic modification procedure used in the development of its input crops. Legally mandating such a label can only serve to mislead and falsely alarm consumers.”