Dive Brief:
- According to a recent study, the NPD Group said that while more U.S. consumers are informed about genetically modified organisms and their benefits in food production, a large percentage still have concerns about them.
- In a study conducted in 2013, NPD found that a little more than half of consumers had little to no awareness of GMOs, but that number has dropped to a little over 33% this year. Still, while awareness of GMOs has increased, only 11% of consumers are aware a federal GMO labeling law was passed this year.
- The law will go into effect in 2018 and provides food manufacturers the option of using words, symbols, or an electronic code readable by smartphone (QR code) on their labels to indicate a product contains genetically modified ingredients.
Dive Insight:
As the NPD Group study shows, consumers are beginning to do their research on GM products, but like anything on the internet, there’s a lot of misinformation out there.
Since the genesis of GMO technology more than two decades ago, there have been thousands of studies providing evidence that biotechnology does not pose a health threat and many believe these foods are even safer than organic foods.
Once the GMO labeling law passed, food manufacturers started to assess whether their products contain GM ingredients and have started to make determinations as to what avenue of labeling they will pursue. Many are already starting to comply with the law and are beginning to better educate the public about what GMO really means — both in labeling and in marketing efforts. This, they believe, will calm any fears consumers have.