Blog: Non-GMO labeling — opportunity or just more fear-mongering?

Multiple surveys have shown that the vast majority of American consumers want to know whether the foods they eat contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Unfortunately, many shoppers do not realize that USDA-certified organic products by definition do not contain GMOs. As a result, food processing companies have found that a call-out on packaging of “non-GMO” often carries more weight with the average consumer than “organic,” even though the USDA’s requirements for the organic label are more stringent.

Consequently, purely from a marketing perspective, I can see where it might behoove organic brands, including private brands, to include a redundant “non-GMO” on packaging or even obtain an additional certification such as Non-GMO Project-Verified. But then again, this could further confuse consumers, reinforcing the misconceptions that some organic products do contain GMOs and that GMOs are bad for humans and the planet.

Indeed, the whole debate surrounding GMOs has been filled with misperceptions ever since Paul Lewis, an English professor at Boston College, coined the term “Frankenfood” in 1992 and Great Britain’s Prince Charles became a vocal opponent of genetically modified foods in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe and the Commonwealth.

After conducting a systematic review of significant research studies on the topic, the U.S.-based National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that there is no evidence that genetically engineered food is harmful to human health or the environment. Shouldn’t the food industry then try to disabuse consumers of their false assumptions rather jump on the non-GMO bandwagon?

In my opinion, grocery retailers with private brands should be on the side of science and public education. “Food Evolution,” a recently released documentary film directed and produced by Scott Hamilton Kennedy and narrated by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ph.D., sheds light on the harm caused by GMO fear-mongering. To watch a trailer of the documentary, which was funded by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), visit the film’s website. You can also learn more about the movie on IFT’s website.

I hope “Food Evolution” becomes much more widely distributed than it is now because consumers and government policymakers as well as food industry professionals need to see it. Perhaps grocery retailers could host or sponsor local screenings.

In impoverished countries, genetically modified rice and potatoes have the potential to dramatically reduce malnutrition by providing difficult-to-obtain vital nutrients at low cost, but the controversy around GMOs has prevented widespread adoption. In addition, genetically modified seeds can greatly increase yields and promote disease-resistant crops in regions facing ongoing famine such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

The misplaced concerns and priorities of relatively affluent consumers in Western countries are exacerbating food insecurity worldwide. “Globally, 108 million people in 2016 were reported to be facing crisis-level food insecurity or worse,” according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This represents a 35 percent increase over 2015, when the figure was nearly 80 million.

Anti-GMO fanaticism presents a marketing opportunity for private brands just like the gluten-free craze. But as the “Food Evolution” trailer states: “The survival of our species has always depended on advances in agriculture.”