Portland Alt-Weekly: Vote No on GMO Labeling! Will Wonders Never Cease?

Sanity has broken out at foodie
hipster ground zero: The Portland Mercury is
urging its readers to vote no on a ballot measure
which would require labeling of foods containing genetically
modified organisms (GMOs). The editorial is framed by a bunch of
we-swear-we’re-not-evil positioning, including calling Monsanto and
Coca-Cola “shadowy multinational corporations” and declaring that
“industrial farming” is “problematic.”

But then there’s this spot-on analysis of what such initiatives
are really about:

And yet, after much debate, we’re coming
down just on the “no” side of this issue.

The essential problem is dishonesty. Measure 92’s proponents
argue it’s all about helping consumers make an informed choice.
They insisted in our interview they have no problem with GMOs, and
no other motives, ulterior or not, besides the spread of
information.

But this campaign—like identical efforts that narrowly failed in
California and Washington recently—is quite clearly a bid to get
food companies to abandon GMOs, a backdoor attempt at altering our
agricultural landscape.

See, the science we possess on GMOs indicates they’re almost
certainly safe to eat. Indeed, the Yes on 92 representatives who
attended our endorsement interview acknowledged purchasing and
eating GMO products all the time. But there’s a clear motive for
wanting “conspicuous” labeling on those foods, and it’s not to
remind consumers that GMOs are harmless. Without sufficient
context, a label is likely to sow doubt or apprehension in shoppers
who assume it’s a warning, and that there’s a reason they should be
warned….

There are more straightforward ways of trying to change
America’s problematic farming trends than a labeling measure that
takes pains to protest it’s not actually out to do that.

The paper also notes that there are already foods available with
reliable GMO-free labeling for customers who feel strongly about
restricting their own consumption, rather than focusing on
what other people buy and sell.

The Mercury is practically establishing a pattern here
(a
trend of two, anyway) since it took
a bold stance in favor of floridated water this spring.