More Than 2,000 People Respond to Vermont AG’s Survey on GMO Labeling

MONTPELIER -- The back of the package is the best place for a GMO label, according survey results released last week by the Attorney General's Office, but the results show that consumers differed with the food industry on how large the label...

July 17, 2014 | Source: Brattleboro Reformer | by

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MONTPELIER — The back of the package is the best place for a GMO label, according survey results released last week by the Attorney General’s Office, but the results show that consumers differed with the food industry on how large the label should be.

The Attorney General’s Office conducted the survey as part of its rule-making process for Vermont’s law requiring manufacturers and retailers to label certain food products containing genetically modified ingredients starting in 2016.

The questionnaire was open from June 4 through June 30 and received more than 2,200 responses. The respondents represent a range of the food economy – from farmers to consumers – and the majority were Vermonters.

More than half of the respondents asked where to locate the label said on the back of the package near the list of ingredients. About one-third of consumers responding to the survey said the label should be on the front of the package.

Forty-four percent of the respondents want the print to be the same as the “Nutrition Facts” label. Twenty-eight percent of respondents identifying as distributors, farmers or processors preferred the label to be the size of the “Calories” label.

Nearly three-quarters of consumers say these product labels should not include a disclaimer stating that GMO foods are not harmful for human consumption according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Retailers, distributors, farmers and processors were about split on whether to include the disclaimer.