Does banning the import of genetically modified goods in countries violate the spirit of free trade and should the US be labeling it?

I think whether the banning of genetically modified goods
violates the spirit of free trade truly depends on the motives behind the
ban.

We would never, for example, say that banning the
importation of marijuana from some country where it was legal violated the spirit of
free trade.  So if the people of a country truly feel that genetically modified foods
are dangerous, they should be able to ban their import.  (They probably should ban them
domestically as well, I'd say.)

However, countries often
use issues like this as a "fig leaf" for protectionism.  This can be seen when countries
ban our beef, for example, because of alleged fears of BSE.  You also hear accusations
that our talk of limiting imports from countries with poor working conditions, for
example, is a fig leaf like that.

So I think it really
depends on why the ban is being imposed.