Uninformed Consumers Feel GM Foods "Snuck In" to Food Supply, Now Want Labels

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently posted "Report on Consumer Focus Groups on Biotechnology," dated October 20, 2000, which revealed American consumers want labeling on genetically modified (GM) foods, especially since many did not know that GM foods were already in the food supply. The report, which was commissioned last spring, surveyed people from four major U.S. cities.

The report stated, "Virtually all participants said that bioengineered foods should be labeled as such so that they could tell whether a given food was a product of the new [GM] technology." As to the reason why consumers wanted labeling on GM foods, the report notes, "Participants wanted to know whether the food was a product of biotechnology because they were concerned about the potential for unknown long-term effects of the technology, in particular health effects."

Anti-biotech groups criticized FDA for failing to acknowledge consumer feelings toward GM food labeling. "There is an overwhelming public support in favor of mandatory labeling, and the agency knows that," said Richard Caplan of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "Whether the concerns are environmental or health-related, ethical or religious, people want to know when biotechnology is being used in their food."

Some anti-labeling advocates are skeptical about this and other focus group reports because consumers give opinions on topics they may know nothing about. "You ask people if they want to know whether a tomato has been hand-picked or machine-picked, and they'll tell you they do [even though they don't know the difference]," said Gene Grabowski, a spokesperson for the Grocery Manufacturers of America, in The Washington Post. "We see biotech food labeling in the same way."

FDA also found that consumers are unfamiliar with many aspects of biotechnology. However, the agency stated that many people were surprised that biotech foods have already inundated the market. "Some participants remarked that bioengineered foods have been `snuck in' to the food supply. They were mainly disturbed by the lack of public information and public input to a major development in the quality of their food supply," FDA concluded. To view the report, visit www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/biorpt.html.