Organic Food, GMOs, the Safety of American Food, the Value of Use-By Dates, and More--Scientists Tell Us What They Think

PART 3 OF A 3-PART SERIES

Links to Parts 1 and 2 of this survey are at the end of this article.

We expected--and got--a range of opinions when we surveyed scientists about major food issues.  However, 5 of the 6 questions in Part 3 of the series elicited a significant majority preference for a particular answer. You'll find the statistics and the scientists' comments enlightening no matter what viewpoint you hold about GMOs, organic produce, use-by dates, grass-fed cattle, and the relative safety of American food.   

Below are the 6 questions we asked and the informative responses and comments we received. Reminders: some comments are in quotation marks but no author's name follows the quote because these respondents chose to have their remarks cited anonymously. Some comments are paraphrased and combined, so these are not in quotation marks; however, they are the thoughts of the scientists, not the editor.  One question in Part 3 allowed scientists to select as many responses as they agreed with, so the response percentages total more than 100%. 

WHICH STATEMENT [ABOUT ORGANIC PRODUCE] IS CLOSEST TO YOUR POINT OF VIEW?

a) Organic produce is safer than conventional produce: 0% 

b) Organic produce is safer because it has no pesticides, artificial preservatives, or GMOs: 3%

c) Organic produce is about as safe as conventional produce: 72%

d) Organic produce is less safe than conventional produce: 25%

Comments from survey respondents:

• "There should be few differences following the implementation of FSMA produce safety rules."  Barbara Rasco, Ph.D., JD, Washington State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• "There is much greater risk for organic to be less safe."  Melvin Hunt, Ph.D., emeritus professor, Kansas State University, Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
• "There is no relationship to safety."
• "Organic is not pesticide free but uses natural pesticides. The continued use of some of them, particularly sulfur, is causing problems of land degradation.  Modern pesticides used properly lead to very little residual pesticides.  If you go from 0.1 to 1% of the government’s allowed tolerance for a pesticide in a fresh food product is that significant?  It is a 10 fold increase but the regular products remain extremely safe."  Joe Regenstein, Ph.D., Cornell University, Dept. of Food Science
• "Organic is a creation of ... people seeking a silver bullet.  It's a waste of time and money."  Aaron L. Brody, Ph.D., adjunct professor, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

[Editor's note: For more Shelf Life Advice information about organic food, click on "What is Organic Food?"  and you'll reach links to a series of Q/As on this topic.]

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GMOS [GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS] IN FOOD ARE A HEALTH RISK?

Yes:  6%        No:  81%     Don't know: 9%       Don't choose to answer:  3%

Comments from survey respondents:

• They are not a health risk "if done with good science and control during the GMOing stage of development. "  Melvin Hunt, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Kansas State University
• "No conclusive studies have been done; however, I personally eat these food moderately and don't care about the potential risk of GMOs."  Yao-Wen Huang, Ph.D, University of Georgia, Department of Food Science and Technology

Editor's Note:  For more Shelf Life Advice information about GMOs and the labeling issue related to them, go to "Is Genetically Engineered Food Safe?  Should 'GE' Be on Food Labels?"   For additional articles related to this topic, type "GMO" into the search box on the site's home page.  To read about genetically modified salmon, click here. 

DO YOU THINK THE TYPE OF FEED THAT ANIMALS ARE GIVEN AFFECTS THE QUALITY OF THEIR MEAT?

Yes: 100%   No:  0%   Don't know:  0%   Don't choose to answer:  0%

Comments from survey respondents:

• Ÿ"If by quality you mean flavor, then yes."  Aaron L. Brody, Ph.D., adjunct professor, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• "Quality not necessarily, but perhaps flavor. For example, grass-fed beef has more carotenes showing up as yellow color in the fat and typically has less fat than feedlot-finished beef.  Ditto for carotenes in egg yolks, though admittedly eggs aren't meat."
• "Although I believe the type of feed does impact quality, I do not feel that one production system is any safer than another (e.g., feedlot vs. grass fed)." 
• "You are what you eat. The same is true of animals."  Yao-Wen Huang, Ph.D, University of Georgia, Department of Food Science and Technology
• "Obviously."  Barbara Rasco, Ph.D., JD, Washington State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• Ÿ"It is true."  Melvin Hunt, Ph.D., emeritus professor, Kansas State University, Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
• "Flavor can be slightly altered based on the feed."
• "The amount of stress the animal undergoes and the handling of the animal can also affect the taste of the meat."   

COMPARED TO EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, AMERICAN FOOD  _____.

a) is less safe: 3%

b) is safer: 36%

c) is about as safe: 39%

d) may or may not be safer: 23%

Comments from respondents:

• "Europe is a big place. I presume that you are referring to  UK, Germany, and ...France. European food safety programs are less transparent than ours. In Western European countries, food is as safe; in less developed countries (let's pick Bulgaria and Albania) not as safe."  Barbara Rasco, Ph.D., JD, Washington State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• "If you mean countries in the EU, they are generally equal to or superior to U.S. food safety."  Melvin Hunt, Ph.D., emeritus professor, Kansas State University, Department of Animal Sciences and Industry

IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY HAS  _____.

  a)  become safer:  63%

  b) become less safe:  6%  

  c) stayed about the same: 25% 

  d) I don't know: 6%

Comments from respondents:

• "Imports remain a problem and this problem will increase as FSMA [the Food Safety Modernization Act signed by President Obama in January, 2011] drives small domestic producers out of the market. Microbial food safety in Central/South America is improving. But I'm waiting for the next melamine shoe to drop in China. Chinese food safety programs give me the willies."  Barbara Rasco, Ph.D., JD, Washington State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• "Even more food safety laws have been added and implemented; however, the mutation of pathogens and immuno-compromised consumers are increasing.  Those factors will keep the safety of the food supply staying about the same."  Yao-Wen Huang, Ph.D, University of Georgia, Department of Food Science and Technology
• "Safest in world history."  Aaron L. Brody, Ph.D., adjunct professor, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

USE-BY DATES ON FOOD PRODUCTS __________ .

(Respondents could select as many completions as they agreed with.)

a)  encourage consumers to waste good food:  20% 

b) are useful to remind consumers to use food before the quality deteriorates:  93%

c) tell customers when to discard food: 10% 

d) should be discontinued:  0%

Comments from survey respondents:

• "These should be realistic in order to reduce problems with food waste."  Barbara Rasco, Ph.D., JD, Washington State University, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
• "These are extraordinarily difficult to interpret..."  Aaron L. Brody, Ph.D., adjunct professor, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• "Consumers should be better educated about the meaning of the dates."
• "Consumers don't really understand the differences between 'use by,' 'sell by,' and other marks.  Many people throw out products, whether or not the product is still good, because the date stamped on them has passed."

Clearly, the system needs to be revised or consumers need to be better educated about it since food waste is an enormous problem in the U.S. For more information about problems with use-by dates, read  these Shelf Life Advice articles: "It Says 'Use By Tomorrow,' But You Don't Have to"  and "Use-by dates under attack! Can they be defended or improved?"

To read Parts 1 and 2 on our survey results, click on the following titles:

"Raw Chicken, Leftovers, Deli Meats, and More--What Surveyed Scientists Said"

"Is It Safe?  Is It Nutritious? More Survey Answers from Scientists"

Source:

ShelfLifeAdvice.com survey, completed December 31, 2013.