With USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s July 3 deadline to comment on the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law fast approaching, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation tested reactions to the three bioengineered (BE) labeling symbols and two variations of text disclosures. In every combination, levels of concern across a variety of factors increased—often substantially—when a disclosure label was applied.

The test

Consumers were shown bottles of canola oil:

The results

Human health concerns almost always showed the greatest increase, compared to other factors such as animal health or environmental concerns.

GMO perception

The survey asked about broader perceptions of GMOs.

“Despite broad scientific consensus that GMOs are safe to consume, a majority of Americans seem to be convinced otherwise. It’s a significant disconnect and it underscores the need for more creative public education on the science behind our food,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation.

What Is the right amount of disclosure?

When consumers were asked which combination of logo and text provided the “right amount” of information, a significant majority said that any of the three logo disclosures plus the text disclosure provided the right amount. Far fewer said that the logos alone provided the right amount. 

Consumers were also asked how they preferred to receive the legally required GMO disclosure information from food companies on GMOs, ranking their choices among six methods.

Label claims can impact consumer purchases 

The survey also seeks to understand how statements about GMOs, or GMO-free claims, stack up against other front-of-pack labels. Several claims rank higher than GMO-free claims. In fact, when given a list to choose from, the top labeling claims consumers seek out when buying food: 

However, the presence of a bioengineered logo reduces what consumers would be willing to pay for a product versus one without a logo. For instance, respondents indicated they would be willing to pay an average of $2.96 for a container of squash soup with no BE disclosure. But the tolerated price falls when various BE symbols are applied.

Consistent with labeling claims sought by consumers, however, the tolerated price actually rises much closer to that of the unlabeled product if “all natural” or “sustainable” is added to a package alongside the BE symbols. In one case, the tolerated price with a BE disclosure and “all natural” is in fact equal to the product with no BE disclosure. 

“Even though consumers have very individualized beliefs about the meaning of many front-of-package claims, it’s clear that ‘natural’ and ‘sustainable’ are powerful motivators for certain consumers,” said Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, Vice President, Research and Partnerships, at the IFIC Foundation.

“The IFIC Foundation’s research into specific disclosure logos and text was limited to those proposed by AMS. Clearly this issue is ripe for additional study and education, including qualitative insights that could track actual behavior in the marketplace,” Lewin-Zwerdling added.

The IFIC Foundation will be submitting formal public comments on the proposed labeling schemes, including the full survey, which can be found here.

Methodology

The findings were derived from an online survey of 1,002 Americans ages 18–80 with sole or shared responsibility for their household’s grocery shopping. It was conducted May 18 to 27, 2018, using ResearchNow’s consumer panel. Results were represented and distributed across region, gender, age, education, race/ethnicity and household income.

Source: International Food Information Council Foundation