1.4 Consumers' right
Consumers have the right to know what they are buying and eating. It is very important to know what you are eating and thereby make informed choice from there. However, not all the consumers have the access to information to allow them to make informed choices about GM food. This is especially so in developing countries where the man and woman are poor and not educated, they do not have the fundamental information about GM food and to make informed choices.
There are 2 main areas which the consumers are very concern: Food safety of GM food and Labelling of GM food.
1.4.1 Food safety of GM food
Consumers had some experience with non-GM food regarding their safety such as allergens, microbiological contaminants,etc. This makes them more particular and concern about the safety of GM food. Besides that, health issues such as allergens and the transfer of genes to human is still debating. And no one has ever confirmed about these. Thereby, consumers has the right to know what are the ingredients in the GM food.
1.4.2 Labelling of GM food
Label is an important component that provide detailed information about the food itself. When products are labelled sufficiently, it will allow the consumers to make informed choices based on other issues such as environmental concerns, etc. In fact, through surveys, it reflects that most consumers would like to know what they are eating, and agrees that mandatory labelling should be introduced in all countries. The consumers international organization holds a campaign in 2005 which wants all GM products to be labelled, follow international safety standards and take action to protect non-GM crops. This is because consumers' right should be respected.
Reference
1. Genetically modified organisms, consumers, food safety and the environment. FAO Ethics Series. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/003/X9602e/X9602e00.pdf; accessed on 9th July 2008
2. Consumers Say No To GMOs. Consumers International. http://www.consumersinternational.org/Templates/News.asp?NodeID=90502; accessed on 10th July 2008
