Cornell Experts Applaud House Passing GMO Labeling Bill Which President Is Expected to Sign

Newswise — David Just and Harry Kaiser are both professors in Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, part of the College of Business. Just is a professor of behavioral economics who has testified on Capitol Hill about agricultural biotechnology and engaged with the media on the need to avoid injecting unnecessary alarm into GMO labeling efforts. He will help instruct a MOOC this fall on “Science and the Politics of the GMO.” Kaiser teaches and conducts research in the areas of price analysis, marketing, and quantitative methods. He is the director of the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program, focusing on the market-wide economic effects of commodity advertising and promotion programs. Kaiser conducted some of the first research investigating the economic impacts of climate change on the U.S. agricultural sector.

Bios:http://dyson.cornell.edu/people/david-justhttp://dyson.cornell.edu/people/harry-kaiser

Just and Kaiser applaud today’s House vote which recognizes the positive impact that GMO foods have on the poor and the environment.The following is an excerpt from an op-ed Just and Kaiser published in The Hill today: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/287699-gmo-labeling-bill-good-for-both-environment-and-the:

“As the House takes up the bill, we hope our representatives do not lose sight of the positive impact that GMO foods have on the environment and the poor. Since GMO crops have become widespread, the U.S. has seen environmental benefits from weed and pest resistant GMO-crops...Fewer chemicals in our atmosphere, and soil staying on farm fields instead of washing into streams and lakes, mean widespread benefits for all of us that use waterways recreationally, consume seafood or drink water.

“The impact of GMOs on the poor is also important. Approximately one out of every nine people in the world is malnourished, according to the World Food Programme. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture counts approximately one out of every seven people as food insecure. How can we feed these people in need of food today and ultimately meet the needs of a global population that is headed toward 9 billion? A key element of this solution lies in the process that has enabled us to feed the world's population as it grew from 1 billion to 7 billion over the past 165 years: the integration of science in agriculture.

Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews.

- 30 -