Video: What are GMO labels?

April 20, 2016, 12:30 p.m. ·

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GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms are the subject of great debate in grocery stores, at the table and even in Congress. But what are GMOs? And what will GMO labels tell consumers about food products?


There’s a heated debate happening right now about GMOs and labels.

Big food companies like General Mills, Mars and Kellogg’s say they plan to put labels on their products that tell consumers whether or not the food contains ingredients derived from genetically engineered plants.

So what’s the big deal? What are GMO labels, and what do they tell you?

Watch the video below to get the full scoop on GMO labels. And read the three things you should know below.


GMO Labels Explained. GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms are the subject of great debate in grocery stores, at the table and even in Congress. But what are GMOs? And what will GMO labels tell consumers about food products? Harvest Public Media's Jeremy Bernfeld explains.


1. Think processed food

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. GMO labels would be slapped on food that contains ingredients made from plants that were genetically engineered.

More from Harvest Public Media: How your food gets the ‘Non-GMO’ label


Demand is growing for GMO-free labels on food products, according to the Non-GMO Project, one of the principle suppliers of the label. (Photo by Amy Mayer, Harvest Public Media)

Many processed foods contain corn syrup,soybean, canola or cottonseed oil. Most of those crops grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered. Scientists can insert a gene into a variety of corn, for instance, to make it immune to a weedkiller, so when farmers spray their fields the weeds die but the corn doesn’t.

2. Don’t think safety or nutrition

Some food and consumer groups say products made from GMO crops should have special labels for the sake of transparency.

Food regulators here in the U.S. don’t require them, though, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says GE ingredients are just as nutritious and safe to eat as ingredients from other crops. GMO labels won’t verify safety or nutrition.

Other advocates object to the cultivation of the current slate of GE crops for environmental, economic and political concerns.

3. Think Vermont

Vermont passed a law requiring GMO labels on food sold in the state. And there’s a deadline: the labels must be in effect by July 1.

In response, some companies are going ahead with the labels, saying they can’t afford different labels for different states. Other companies are fighting the law – they worry the labels will look like a warning and scare consumers.

Of course, if you want to go GMO-free you can buy food labeled by the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit organization, or you can buy organic. Food that sports a USDA organic seal is not allowed to contain ingredients derived from GE plants.


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Harvest Public Media is a reporting collaboration focused on issues of food, fuel and field. Harvest covers these agriculture-related topics through an expanding network of reporters and partner stations throughout the Midwest.