Oklahoma State Study Finds 80% of Americans Want Labels on Food That Contains DNA
Maybe the labels should also indicate foods which contain molecules and atoms.
Ilya Somin of the Washington Post reported.
Over 80 percent of Americans support “mandatory labels on foods containing DNA”
A recent survey by the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics finds that over 80 percent of Americans support “mandatory labels on foods containing DNA,” about the same number as support mandatory labeling of GMO foods “produced with genetic engineering.” Oklahoma State economist Jayson Lusk has some additional details on the survey. If the government does impose mandatory labeling on foods containing DNA, perhaps the label might look something like this:
WARNING: This product contains deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The Surgeon General has determined that DNA is linked to a variety of diseases in both animals and humans. In some configurations, it is a risk factor for cancer and heart disease. Pregnant women are at very high risk of passing on DNA to their children.
The Oklahoma State survey result is probably an example of the intersection between scientific ignorance and political ignorance, both of which are widespread.The most obvious explanation for the data is that most of these people don’t really understand what DNA is, and don’t realize that it is contained in almost all food.
Over 80 percent of Americans support “mandatory labels on foods containing DNA” (The Washington Post)
Comments
Check with the ignorant 80% to see if they support banning dihydrogen oxide, a substance posing many dangers.
Yes, indeed. The PGA has declared that stuff a hazard!
Obviously rubbish. Eighty per cent of Americans couldn’t tell you what DNA is, let alone what it does.
But even if this turns into something, the damage will be trivial; just another block of small print on the label ’round back, of no more moment than the current notice on just about everything that the State of California has determined that the entire content of the package causes cancer. Not a big deal.