Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) should be labeled because foods produced through genetic engineering are significantly different than conventional foods, pose potential health risks, and increase herbicide use. Labeling will have a negligible effect on food prices.
For more than two decades, Consumers Union has advocated for labeling of GMOs because consumers have a right to know what’s in their food. While more than 90 percent of Americans want GMO foods labeled, Monsanto and other biotech companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat labeling laws. Momentum is growing however with new laws in Vermont, Maine and Connecticut.
Key Resources
- Infographic: Sorting through the confusion about GMOs
- The Facts: FAQs about GMOs–Consumer Reports answers your questions about GMOs and their risks.
- Polls: 92% of Consumers want Labels on GMO Foods–In a 2014 national poll, Consumer Reports found consumers overwhelmingly want GMO foods to be labeled.See Poll results here.
- Costs: GMO Labels Will Cost Less Than a Penny a Day–An economic research firm found, in a 2014 study commissioned by Consumers Union, that GMO labeling will cost consumers just $2.30 a year–less than a cuppa joe! The full report can be found here.
- Tests: Consumer Reports tested 80 different processed foods for GMOs to determine their labeling accuracy. It found found genetically modified organisms in many packaged foods — including those labeled ‘natural’—but found no GMOs in most products labeled non-GMO or organic.See complete test results here.
- Why We Want Labeling: Genetically engineered foods pose potential health risks, increase herbicide use, do not increase yields, and do not alleviate world hunger.
- GMO Labels Make Good Sense: Op-ed on CNN written by Marta Tellado, CEO and President of Consumer Reports.
- Consumers Deserve to Know What’s in Their Food: Op-ed in the Boston Globe by Dr. Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at Consumer Reports.