Iowans care about where their food is grown, whether it’s organic, made with high-fructose syrup or without GMOs, a new survey from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation shows.
But they might not care as much as you’d imagine.
The four most important factors in the grocery store are still taste, price, nutrition and safety, the Farm Bureau’s Food and Farm Index shows. Lastly came concerns about where and how consumers’ food is raised or produced, such as food derived from genetically modified organisms.
“We wanted to know how important labels are to consumers,” said Laurie Johns, an Iowa Farm Bureau spokeswoman. “Although there’s no push in Iowa to label GMOs, it is happening in other states. There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to GMO crops.”
The Harris Poll interviewed 500 Iowans in May for the Farm Bureau and found some conflicting views on GMOs. Only 18 percent of consumers who pay attention to labels said GMO-free tags gave them the information they sought. Topping the list was whether a product was grown or made in the U.S. or locally and whether it contained high-fructose corn syrup.
Read the full, original article: Iowans mixed on food labels
