Items at the grocery store come with a lot of information. Consumers know who made the product and where it was made. They know how many calories and carbohydrates it has, as well as how much fat, protein, cholesterol, sodium and any number of nutrients. Of course, they know all the ingredients, from everyday to unpronounceable.

What they don’t know is if the item contains genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, crops that have been spliced with other organisms to give them traits, such as resistance to herbicide or faster growth, that they do not usually possess. In fact, food containing GMOs can be labeled “natural,” even if by definition the GMOs do not occur naturally.

That would change under LD 718, An Act To Protect Maine Food Consumers’ Right To Know about Genetically Engineered Food and Seed Stock. Now under consideration by the Maine Legislature, the bill would require retailers to tell consumers which products are genetically modified, and imposes penalties for misbranding. Restaurants and alcoholic beverages are exempted from the bill, as are products from animals who were fed genetically altered food.

The bill is backed by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which says Mainers have the right to make informed choices on the food they buy. The group cites national polls that show a vast majority of Americans want to be told if they are eating genetically engineered foods, as well as the 62 countries, including the European Union, that require GMOs to be labeled as such.

Opponents – including the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Maine Farm Bureau and agribusiness giant Monsato – argue that the labeling would be too costly for farmers and retailers, and that there is little evidence that genetically modified foods are less healthy than their natural counterparts.

The former point is arguable, but the latter is not, though only because the studies on the subject have largely been left up to the industry itself, which is in no hurry to find out that profitable genetically modified foods are harmful.

The fact is that the science on genetically engineered food is incomplete, and the long-term health implications are unclear. Until it becomes clear, through independent study and analysis, consumers should be able to choose whether they want GMOs in their diet.

Passing LD 718 into law would help spur that sort of analysis, without making life more difficult for Maine’s farmers and retailers. The law would only be put into effect once five other states, or states with a combined population of at least 20 million, pass similar legislation, meaning it is likely that labels would not be required for years.

That provides plenty of time for Maine and like-minded states to push for real research into the use of genetically modified foods, and to adjust laws accordingly. It would also codify what should be a bedrock consumer right to know what goes into the food we buy.

– Ben Bragdon, managing editor