By Chris Wood
The purported dangers of genetically modified organisms are articles of faith among certain tribes of environmentalists and pure-foodies. I’m not personally alarmed about GMO foods — empiricism is demanded, as I wrote in a recent column, Follies to the Right, Follies to the Left — but what exactly is wrong with allowing consumers to be informed?
A cabal of industry-supported United States Congresspeople is trying to prevent American consumers from being informed about the GMO content of the hamburger and frozen fries down at the Piggly Wiggly. These would be Republican Congresspeople.
One of the numerous fact-free assumptions of the classical economics that derange right-wing American and Canadian market-fetishists alike, is that consumers DO have ‘perfect knowledge’. Unless of course, actual knowledge might dissuade them from buying … in which case much better to keep them in the dark?
— Chris Wood
Further reading:
Politico: GMO labeling bill would trump states. http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/gmo-labeling-bill-105548.html