Editing Flavr Savr (section)

== Controversy ==
The FDA stated that special labeling for these modified tomatoes was not necessary because they have the essential characteristics of unmodified tomatoes. Specifically,  no evidence for health risks was found, and the nutritional content was unchanged.<ref name="fray" /> According to the existing policy at the time, genetically modified products were only required to be labeled if a significant alteration was made.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Phillips |first=Susan |date=August 5, 1994 |title=Genetically Engineered Foods |url=https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1994080500 |access-date=2022-03-13 |journal=CQ Researcher |volume=4 |issue=29 |pages=673–696 |language=en}}</ref> Most GMOs were not subjected to mandatory labeling, which allowed for the vast majority of commercially sold, genetically modified foods to remain unlabeled.

Flavr Savr tomatoes were still labeled as genetically altered, though it was not a requirement.<ref name=":1" /> The FDA's no-label policy was criticized because people believed that consumers deserved the right to know what was in their food.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=About Just Label It {{!}} Just Label It |url=https://www.justlabelit.org/about-just-label-it/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=www.justlabelit.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Safety concerns were also cited.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} Thousands of comments were sent to the FDA asking for a change to the labeling guidelines.<ref name=":3" /> However, the FDA still did not implement mandatory labeling of foods derived from biotechnology until January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New USDA guidance requires foods with GMO ingredients be labeled 'bioengineered' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-fda-guidance-requires-foods-gmo-ingredients-labeled-bioengineered-rcna11265 |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=NBC News |date=10 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Some did not trust the tomato's safety. Because some members of the public were misinformed on genetic technology, people feared the Flavr Savr and other genetically modified products to be potentially hazardous to human health or the environment.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} Some chefs and food distributors boycotted the Flavr Savr and refused to sell the tomatoes in their stores.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1992-10-06 |title=CHEFS BOYCOTT GENETICALLY ALTERED FOOD |url=https://www.deseret.com/1992/10/6/19008834/chefs-boycott-genetically-altered-food |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Deseret |language=en}}</ref> [[Jeremy Rifkin]], an antibiotechnology activist, said, "It may be benign, but [the Flavr Savr] may turn out to be toxic."<ref name=":1" /> He founded the Pure Food Campaign, which opposed the introduction of genetically modified foods into consumer markets.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Naik |first=Paul |date=1999 |title=Jeremy Rifkin: An Examination of the Efforts of an Anti-Biotechnology Activist |url=https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8965540/Naik.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=March 25, 2022 |website=Harvard}}</ref>