Last updated on: 3/10/2016 2:37:56 PM PST
Should Genetically Modified (GMO) Foods Have Mandatory Labeling?
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"I am very much in favor of what Secretary Vilsack is trying to do. What he's trying to do as the Secretary of Agriculture for our country is to get a [GMO] labeling program started...
If you followed what went on in the last week in Congress, very powerful agriculture forces were trying to pass a law, get it into the Omnibus, to prohibit states from passing laws requiring labeling. Now that did not pass. So that was a good, that was a good development for Secretary Vilsack because what he's trying to do is get states and advocates and agriculture interests all at the same table to say, 'Look, there's a right to know.' You should be able to have the information that you can make your judgement about.
Now, I will add this. Because I think this is fair to add. There's also a right to have the best science. You know, what is the science that is really at work here because there are a lot of advocates who fight hunger in Africa who are desperate for GMO seeds. Because they are drought-resistant. And they don't know how else they're going to get enough yield to feed people."
Source: The Institute for Responsible Technology, "Hillary Clinton's Stance on GMOs, Fairfield IA, 12/22/15," YouTube.com, Dec. 24, 2015
Pro
"I have celiac disease, so I need food labeled. I think food should be labeled, and that would include GMOs in food."
Source: Gary Johnson, "I Am Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Candidate for President. AMA [Ask Me Anything]," reddit.com, Sep. 11, 2012
Pro
"We can provide adequate warning labels for toxic contaminants in food and for genetically-modified ingredients. Consumers have a right to know what is in the food they are purchasing."
Source: Jill Stein, "Labeling Food Accurately," on her 2002 gubernatorial campaign website jillwill.org, available at www.web.archive.org, Aug. 28, 2002
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Con (No)
Con
"[Iowa Farm Bureau survey question:] Do you support the use of biotechnology in food products and oppose efforts to require mandatory labeling for foods simply because they contain ingredients derived from biotechnology?...
Donald Trump: Yes."
Source: Iowa Farm Bureau, "Read the Candidates' Positions," www.iowafarmbureau.com (accessed Jan. 12, 2016)
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FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"I am very proud that Vermont is taking the lead in a growing national movement to allow the people of our country to know what is in the food they eat. GMO labeling exists in dozens of countries around the world and should exist in the United States…
I will continue my efforts in Washington, against Monsanto and other multi-national food industry corporations, to pass national legislation on this issue. In the meantime, it is extremely important that Vermont and other states lead the way."
Source: Bernie Sanders, "Sanders Applauds Vermont Senate Vote on Foods Labels," sanders.senate gov, Apr. 16, 2014
[Editor's Note: on May 23, 2013, Senator Bernie Sanders voted in favor of a Senate amendment (S.AMDT.965) that would have allowed states to require mandatory labeling of GMO foods.]
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Con (No)
Con
"The GMO effort to increase yields, to deal with droughts, to deal with disease... creates economic opportunity and progress and prosperity. We should not be trying to make it harder for that kind of innovation to exist, we should celebrate it. So, as it relates to the labeling efforts, state by state, all these things, I think that’s a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist. We shouldn't be adding burdens to this innovation that makes it possible for us to be the greatest producer of food to the largest number of people in the world."
Source: Scott Galindez, "Jeb Bush on GMO's," YouTube.com, Mar. 8, 2015
Con
[Editor's Note: In response to a question at the Mar. 12, 2015 Iowa Agriculture Summit asking if GMO's should be included on food labels, Christie responded, "No."]
Con
"Look, I believe in science, and biotech is a great example of the wonders of science.
It is important that our food be safe and the Federal Government has a very important role in ensuring that our food is safe. But I think we should be celebrating the innovations in science that have expanded the ability to produce food…
We need to stand up to the hysteria. I would note, for families, for parents, that don’t want to feed their kids GMOs, in the private marketplace, there has grown up an abundant market. You can go and purchase organic, if you want to pay more. The market provides for that…
But we shouldn’t let anti-science zealotry shut down the ability to produce low-cost, quality food for billions across the globe."
Source: Iowa Ag Summit, "Ted Cruz at the Iowa Ag Summit," YouTube.com, Mar. 16, 2015
[Editor's Note: on May 23, 2013, Senator Ted Cruz voted against a Senate amendment (S.AMDT.965) that would have allowed states to require mandatory labeling of GMO foods.]
Con
"Well GMOs are safe. GMOs are safe, and, you know, you have Nobel Prize winners here from Iowa who dwarf wheat. GMOs have improved food production. They've fed millions and millions and millions of people. And so, this is an issue that's being raised by people who maybe don't understand, or maybe they don't want to understand, but it's yet again a problem that's being raised to provide power and control to government. So I don't think labeling is necessary, because I think the science is pretty clear that this is not only safe, but it's a benefit to people all over this nation, and all over the world."
Source: RFD TV, "Complete Transcript: Rural Town Hall with Carly Fiorina," rfdtv.com, Oct. 15, 2015
Con
"[Iowa Farm Bureau survey question:] Do you support the use of biotechnology in food products and oppose efforts to require mandatory labeling for foods simply because they contain ingredients derived from biotechnology?...
Mike Huckabee: Yes."
Source: Iowa Farm Bureau, "Read the Candidates' Positions," www.iowafarmbureau.com (accessed Jan. 12, 2016)
Con
"The labeling requirements [for GMO foods] are enormously expensive and just add to the cost of foods. Somebody who is poor can't buy as much food because of requiring labels to be stuck on things…
I don't think we ought to be involved with labeling at all so I'm an outlier in that I don't fit neatly in one category or the other."
Source: Frank Holdmeyer, "Sen. Rand Paul Opens up on GMO Labeling," agri-pulse.com, Sep. 13, 2015
[Editor's Note: on May 23, 2013, Senator Rand Paul voted against a Senate amendment (S.AMDT.965) that would have allowed states to require mandatory labeling of GMO foods.]
Con
"Over the past twenty years, advances in biotechnology have led to the increased use of genetic engineering to produce many of the food products consumed by Americans. Originally, genetic engineering was used to enhance the production yield and resiliency of field crops, like tomatoes and corn, but modern techniques have expanded the use of genetic engineering to a wide range of commercially available food products, like dairy, fish, and meat. Although genetically engineered food products have been approved and regulated by various federal agencies, their safety, as well as the environmental and economic impact of their use, continues to be debated among agricultural, environmental, and consumer groups.
As you may know, on May 23, 2013 the Senate voted down, 27-71, an amendment to S. 954, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013, offered by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) which would have permitted states to require that any food offered for sale have a label indicating that the food contains a genetically engineered ingredient...
I believe common-sense, market-oriented solutions based on sound science are the best approach to protecting consumers."
Source: GMO Free Florida, "GMO Free Florida (Genetically Modified Organisms)," Facebook.com, June 24, 2013
[Editor's Note: on May 23, 2013, Senator Marco Rubio voted against a Senate amendment (S.AMDT.965) that would have allowed states to require mandatory labeling of GMO foods.]
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Not Clearly Pro or Con
"I actually like for people to know what they're buying. I like for people to know what they're eating. And I think it's only fair for them to be able to see that, because people have different impressions about what they want to eat… As far as GMOs are concerned, you know, there are a lot of GMOs. Like broccoli. Broccoli is a GMO. It's a hybrid between two different vegetables. So, you know, there's a whole spectrum of what is a GMO, and there's a lot of hype, quite frankly, and propaganda surrounding GMOs. The fact of the matter is, as science progresses, and you know, we learn how to, you know, inject a gene for instance that will make a plant very unpalatable for certain pests, we'll probably use that technology. That technically is going to be a GMO. And there's going to be a lot of things. So what we really have to do is be logical about it, and not be hysterical about it, and recognize that we do make progress. The foods that we eat today are actually different than a lot of the foods that people ate 100 years ago, because of the modifications that have occurred naturally, through farmers learning different ways to do things."
Source: RFD-TV News Staff, "Complete Transcript: RURAL TOWN HALL with Dr. Ben Carson," www.rfdtv.com, Aug. 25, 2015
None Found
Withdrew on Dec. 21, 2015; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
No position found as of Jan. 12, 2016
Not Clearly Pro or Con
"I need a better, clearer policy [on GMO labeling]. I'm inclined to believe that more information is always best, and that labeling, especially of things we put in our bodies and the food that we eat is something important and good…
I'm inclined... to believe that more labeling is good rather than bad."
Source: New Hampshire Right to Know GMO, "Governor O'Malley," nhrighttoknowgmo.org, Sep. 4, 2015
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