EXPRESS: GMO Labeling Policy and Consumer Choice

Most scientists claim that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in foods are safe for human consumption and offer societal benefits such as better nutritional content. In contrast, many consumers remain skeptical about their safety. Against this backdrop of diverging views, the authors investigate the impact of different GMO labeling policy regimes on products consumers choose. Guided by the literature on negativity bias, structural alignment theory, and message presentation, and based on findings from four experiments, authors show that consumer demand for GM foods depends on the labeling regime policymakers adopt. Both absence-focused (“non-GMO”) and presence-focused (“contains GMO”) labeling regimes reduce the market share of GM foods, with the reduction being greater in the latter case. GMO labels reduce the importance consumers place on price and enhance their willingness-to-pay for non-GM products. Results indicate that specific label design choices policymakers implement (in the form of color and style) also affect consumer responses to GM labeling. Consumer attitudes toward GMOs moderate this effect – consumers with neutral attitudes toward GMOs are influenced most significantly by the label design.

GMO Turfgrass Introduction to the Market: Acceptance and Market Simulations for Connecticut Consumers

Using conjoint analysis and market simulations, the impact of the introduction of certified genetically modified organism (GMO)-free; GMO-free, not certified; and nonlabeled turfgrass was examined for Connecticut consumers. We categorized consumers into five distinct segments according to their preferences. The largest segment consisted of 38% of respondents (multifaceted), whereas the smallest consisted of 8% of respondents (extremely price sensitive). For most consumers GMO labeling was not a major driver for purchasing decisions, accounting for only 11% of purchasing decisions. However, holding all factors constant except GMO labeling and price, 66% of the market preferred a noncertified GMO-free label, with a significant number of consumers willing to pay for the certified GMO-free label. Based on market simulations, the noncertified GMO-free-labeled seed would maximize revenue at a 60% premium whereas the certified GMO-free label maximizes revenue when there is no premium.

Genome-Edited Plants: Opportunities and Challenges for an Anticipatory Detection and Identification Framework

It is difficult to trace and identify genome-edited food and feed products if relevant information is not made available to competent authorities. This results in major challenges, as genetically modified organism (GMO) regulatory frameworks for food and feed that apply to countries such as the member states of the European Union (EU) require enforcement based on detection. An international anticipatory detection and identification framework for voluntary collaboration and collation of disclosed information on genome-edited plants could be a valuable tool to address these challenges caused by data gaps. Scrutinizing different information sources and establishing a level of information that is sufficient to unambiguously conclude on the application of genome editing in the plant breeding process can support the identification of genome-edited products by complementing the results of analytical detection. International coordination to set up an appropriate state-of-the-art database is recommended to overcome the difficulty caused by the non-harmonized bio-safety regulation requirements of genome-edited food and feed products in various countries. This approach helps to avoid trade disruptions and to facilitate GMO/non-GMO labeling schemes. Implementation of the legal requirements for genome-edited food and feed products in the EU and elsewhere would substantially benefit from such an anticipatory framework.

Gmo labeling in food products in montevideo, uruguay

Montevideo establishes the mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified material through the Departmental Decree No. 36.554, positioning Uruguay within the 65 countries that have incorporated this type of regulation.The Food Regulation Service, in its role of sanitary police, and through its Laboratory of Bromatology, in agreement with the Food Molecular Traceability Laboratory (Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic), carried out the analysis of 206 products made with ingredients derived from corn and/or soybean, during the 2015-2017 period, within the framework of compliance with the aforementioned Decree.The strategy used consisted of the application of molecular techniques (Real Time PCR), for the detection of common sequences present in the transgenic events of soybean and corn, and the subsequent quantification of the content of GM material, in relation to an established labeling threshold of 1%.As a result of this study, it was found that 36.9% of the analyzed foods presented sequences derived from genetically modified plant organisms (GMOs); and in 95% of the cases, its content exceeded the threshold established for its labeling.This study, constitutes the first approach to the knowledge of different transgenic elements distribution in food commercialized in Montevideo.These results provide valuable information to both the consumer, for decision making about the food to be consumed, and also for the official control organizations, which must enforce the regulations.This type of work has demonstrated, once again, the importance of the interrelation between academy and state agencies, in the generation of knowledge and in the implementation of new analytical methodologies, as well as in the training of qualified human resources and in the compliance with current regulations.