A ballot initiative in Washington State would require many foods to carry conspicuous warning labels if they use genetically engineered ingredients. The votes will not be completely tallied for several days, but a partial count shows the initiative losing by 54 percent to 46 percent.
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The aim of the measure is to discredit crops that use genetic engineering, though the Food and Drug Administration has concluded that there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that genetically modified foods pose any more risk than conventional foods. Instead of requiring labels by law, it makes sense to let the food companies decide whether and how to inform consumers.
An example of voluntary labeling in action is the announcement on Tuesday by Cargill, a major food producer, that it would place labels on ground beef containing a filler material that critics have derided as "pink slime." Last year, consumer opposition led some grocery chains to stop buying products containing the substance. Cargill conducted research and found that consumers "overwhelmingly" wanted the products clearly labeled. The labels will call the ingredient "finely textured beef," the name used in the food industry (not "pink slime").
The battle over whether to label food containing genetically engineered ingredients is being waged state by state, in part because the federal government has seen no reason to impose such a requirement. A labeling measure in California was defeated last year by a narrow margin.
The industry is fighting these initiatives hard. A better course for manufacturers is to label the products voluntarily. Consumers generally want to know what is in the food they buy, but the vast majority may well shrug at the labels and buy the products anyway. They have been eating genetically engineered foods (more than 70 percent of the food sold in grocery stores) for years without harm.
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