The true cost of GMO labeling may depend on whether food companies reformulate

A new study funded by the Corn Refiners Association concludes that if Vermont’s mandatory labeling law were allowed to go into effect and spread nationwide, the increased cost of producing food in the U.S. would reach about $82 billion per year, or about $1,050 per family.

Of course a lot of pro-labeling groups dispute these estimates. . . .

So, where’s the truth?  All the studies (by pro- and anti-labeling groups alike) rely on assumptions.  One assumption often made by pro-labeling groups is that the government costs of monitoring and enforcement are essentially nonexistent.  As the Washington study suggests, however, that’s unlikely to be true. . . .  where most the controversy arises, is how food companies will respond to the label.  If they . . . source non-GM crops, the cost implications could be quite significant, and this is how we arrive at numbers like $1050/family. . . .  If instead food companies . . .  just slap the label on all their products, the costs are likely closer to just the physical re-labeling costs and the government oversight and regulatory costs.

. . . . I find it a bit hard to believe that all retailers will fully move away from GM content to avoid the label . . .  Why?  A lot of consumers are unconcerned about GMOs . . . there will remain an incentive for food companies to remain cost competitive.  Also, the US is going to produce a lot of GMO corn no matter the labeling policy because around 40% of the corn crop goes into our gas tanks as ethanol and most of the remaining corn crop is used for animal feed . . . These. . .are likely to drive the market for corn.