Most Americans Support GMO Labeling, New Poll Says
Should GMO foods be labeled? Right now, only three states in America (Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut) have laws in place — or will, in the near future — that require genetically modified foods to be identified on nutrition labels, despite dozens of countries around the world banning GMOs altogether. But, as it turns out, most Americans actually do care about the science behind the contents of their dinner. A recent Associated Press survey determined that 66 percent of Americans would support legislation that requires food companies to label GMO products. However, only two-fifths of those polled actually said that the appearance of these GMO labels would influence their consumption habits.
If Americans are still wishy-washy about whether they want to consume GMO foods, then why do they care so much about labeling? According to AP, it's all about the illusion of choice.
"It should be there, and not in small print," poll participant Jay Jaffe said of GMO labels. "People should be able to make a choice."
According to the poll, support for the measure is bipartisan, and more than half of Democrats and Republicans polled would want GMO foods to be labeled. Right now in America, much of our corn and soybean crops are genetically modified, but there is still a debate over the merits and dangers of tampering with crops' DNA.