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Food Labelling: Your Right To Know

© Bob Ewing

When you are out shopping, do you take time to read the labels? I feel that labels contain or perhaps, more accurately, ought to contain, essential information that makes your shopping choices easier. The label helps you decide if you want to buy that product or not. For instance, on clothing, I look for the material the item is made from, the country it was made in and whether or not it is union made.

For food, I want to know whether it is organic or not, where it was produced and what exactly is in it. Food producers are arguing that it is not essential to label genetically modifed food. I do not agree. We have the right to know what we consume. Food labelling is more than just a courtesy, it is a right. Why buy a product when you do not have sufficient information about what it is or where it comes from. If we follow the buyer beware dictum that the free marketers like to repeat, then if we don't have a clear understanding about the contents of the food product we are thinking about buying, if we have doubts about its origins or contents then we should refuse to buy it.

This applies to both prepackaged and fresh food. How was that tomato grown? Are the genes in that cucumber all cucumber or do some of them come from another source, possibly a non-vegetable source. This can be of particular concern to those of us who have chosen a vegetarian path. It is essential that all food items indicateexactly what they are. This incldues any genetic modifcation thhat may have been made. It does not matter, if the intent was to improve the product or not, the consumer must know what they are buying. This way they can make the informed choice that is an essential element of the market system, otherwise, the seller is fooling the customer by withholding necessary information.

Take the time to read the labels when and wherever you shop. If the labeling is unclear, ask the manager. If you don't get satisfactory answers, then don't buy the item, tell the manage why and write a letter to the producer, explaining why you are not buying the product. This may take a bit extra work but you become an active consumer rather than a potential victim.