Missouri Bill Would Require Labels for Genetically-Modified Meat, Fish

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Food labels could change if one bill passes the Missouri legislature.

Senate Bill 155, introduced by St. Louis lawmaker Jemilah Nasheed, would require labeling for all genetically-modified meat and fish produced and sold in Missouri by 2015.

Meat and fish products have several different types of labels. Some say all natural, organic, or you'll also see no hormones or antibiotics, but rarely will you find a label about genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

We wanted to find out what GMOs are and why this bill is asking for specific labeling.

"GMOs can be in absolutely everything," says Kristen White, Hyvee Dietitian.

White says foods with GMOs have ingredients with altered genetic makeup, which are changes that aren't possible naturally.

"Corn is a big one that's out there. GMO corn. So if corn is GMO, not only can it be in our food products, but if cattle eats GMO corn then the cattle has what they call GMO or is considered not organic," says White.

White says most products don't have GMO labeling, so she says if someone chooses to not eat GMO products, it's important to understand what labeling to look for, such as USDA certified organic.

"If the food is organic, it cannot have any GMO within the certifications, so some of those may be up to 95 percent which means 5 percent could have GMO."

White says there's little evidence to show whether genetically modified foods are harmful, but says consumers should be able to know what they're buying.

"Unless a customer buys organic, they don't know if the product has GMO or not."

Food and agriculture corporations use GMOs in order to produce foods at mass quantities and to survive harsh environments.

"Certainly it has the potential to solve a lot of problems and it seems like it solves a lot of problems in agriculture," says Adam Millsap with Urban Roots Farms.

Millsap says there are still too many questions left unanswered about GMOs. He doesn't use them on his farm.

"We don't know the long-term effects."

Millsap says opponents of GMO labeling may be worried it could drive up food costs, but says consumers should have a choice.

"I want to know what I'm buying."

If this bill does pass, it would go into effect in September 2015. Similar bills have been proposed in California and Washington but were defeated.