Researchers have reportedly found that consumers are unsure what “natural,” “organic” and “Non-GMO Project Verified” mean when the phrases appear on food labels. Konstantinos G. Syrengelas et al., “Is the Natural Label Misleading? Examining Consumer Preferences for Natural Beef,” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, October 2017; Brandon R. McFadden, et al., “Effects of the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard: Willingness to Pay for Labels that Communicate the Presence or Absence of Genetic Modification,” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, October 2017.

To investigate a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture asserting that “natural” labeling misleads consumers, researchers conducted an online choice experiment to determine whether including a definition of “natural” on a label deterred or encouraged study participants to pay a premium for steak. The researchers apparently found that the participants were unwilling to pay a premium if they either identified themselves as familiar with the definition of “natural” or if they were provided with the definition at the time of purchase.

Another October 2017 study in the same journal attempted to examine how consumers understand whether a food has genetically modified ingredients (GMO) and surveyed subjects about their willingness to pay for foods labeled “organic” as opposed to “non-GMO.” Researchers concluded that many of the subjects did not distinguish between the two labels and did not identify differences in the label claims before determining whether they indicated willingness to pay premiums for the “organic” and “non-GMO” products.

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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  1. […] mandating the disclosure of GMOs in food products. Studies have purported to show that consumers misunderstand GMOs and the implications of their presence in the food supply, and companies have resisted […]

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