Knowing What’s What

American food shoppers have grown increasingly confident in the ingredient labels on foods and beverages found on store shelves. A survey of 566 mothers across the country shows some 80% feel confident they know what is in the food they are putting on their dinner tables; for 70% of them, this is because of the detailed ingredient labeling on products.  

However, the survey (commissioned by organic cereal manufacturer Nature’s Path) also noted 90% of moms would want genetically modified organisms (GMOs) clearly labeled. Nature’s Path opined, “The reality is that not every aspect of a food’s ingredients is shared—namely, GMOs.”
The survey reports 45% of mothers have never heard of GMOs. During the course of the survey, after Nature’s Path explained the definition of GMOs, nine in 10 of respondents indicated they believe “it is important for brands to indicate whether such ingredients are in their foods.” According to Grocery Manufacturers Association statistics quoted by Nature’s Path, GMOs “may be in up to 80% of the packaged food, but there is presently no law requiring they be labeled.”

The survey found 52% of respondents believe one of the three most important things products should feature on their label is an indication that a food is free of GMO ingredients. The same number felt GMOs would “have a negative impact on their health and that of their families.” pf