Today’s findings suggest … that the presence of labels may serve to dispel consumer concerns about GMOs by increasing their sense of control over what they are eating.
Led by Jane Kolodinsky, an applied economist in the University of Vermont’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the study compared levels of consumer opposition to GMO foods in Vermont — the only US state to have implemented a mandatory labeling policy — with consumer attitudes in the rest of the country. The analysis showed opposition to GMO food fell by 19 percent in Vermont after the implementation of mandatory labels.
“Our findings put to bed the idea that GMO labels will be seen as a warning label,” said Kolodinsky, professor and chair of the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics and a Fellow of UVM’s Gund Institute for the Environment. “What we’re seeing is that simple disclosures, like the ones implemented in Vermont, are not going to scare people away from these products.”
Editor’s note: Read the full study
Read full, original article: Labeling decreases opposition toward GMOs, study finds
