What Does GMO FreeMean?

Genetically modifiedorganisms(GMOs)in food are concern for a number of consumers who are worriedabout the impact that GMOs may have on their health.As a

result,manycompanies in the late 1990s began to apply the GMO free label,indicating thattheir food does not contain genetically modified organisms.A number of nations

legislatelabeling,and in Europe,food must be labeled to indicate whether or not itcontains GMOs.In the United States,however,GMO free labeling is purelyvoluntary and

not regulated by anygovernmental body or organization.

Since it is notregulated,there has been some question about the validity of the GMO free labelin the US.A number of organizations have pressured the Food and Drug

Administration(FDA),aswell as the United States Department of Agriculture(USDA),to enact legislationgoverning food labeling in regards to GMOs.Many food activists

want a label that isstandardized,so that consumers who are concerned about this issue can beassured about the GMO content of products they purchase.

Most US consumers have foods containing GMOs in theirhome.The majority of corn and soybeans grown in the US have been modified,as haveseveral other crops.Some

research indicates thatmany processed foods contain GMO ingredients,so for consumers who are concernedabout this issue,GMO free labeling would be helpful.

For consumers whowant to eat natural,organic foods,knowing that the products they buy are GMOfree is often very important. Although there is no federal labeling program

in the US,someorganic farmers and natural food producers have chosen to start their owncertification programs.Getting certified through such programs can be very

difficult,but manyproducers believe consumers will be willing to pay extra for the verification.

The harmful natureof GMOs has been questioned,especially by commercial agriculture producers andseed providers.No scientific evidence has been found to suggest that

genetic modificationof crops is harmful to humans. Some consumers feel that it is important to beable to make conscious choices about what they eat,however,and want the

ability to chooseGMO free foods if they so desire.

Some studies suggestthat GMOs may be harmful to agriculture,with cloned genetically modifiedspecies harming overall biological diversity and modified genes finding

their way into wildplants and non-modified crops.This is especially true in the case of corn,whereGMO contamination became a major issue in the 1990s.Other

research,however,indicatesthat genetically modified crops can be of benefit to the environment. Plantsdesigned to be resistant to herbicides（除草剂）and pesticides （杀

虫剂）,forexample,have been seen to reduce the amount of these chemicals used by farmerson both GM and non-modified crops.Consumers will bewilling to pay extra for______.

A.the verification

B.the packing box

C.better taste

D.extra food