Research of labels on altered products
Philadelphia Inquirer June 23, 2005

U.S. food manufacturers have long opposed labeling foods that contain genetically modified ingredients. They fear that consumers would interpret the label as a warning.
That fear is well-founded, according to a paper being presented today at a St. Joseph's University conference on global perceptions of biotechnology.
After meetings with focus groups, researchers at St. Joseph's and Rutgers University concluded that many consumers would avoid buying products if they knew they contained genetically engineered ingredients.
Because food manufacturers do not label the modified foods, consumers "feel like they are being deceived," said Diane M. Phillips, an associate professor of marketing at St. Joe's and coauthor of the research paper on food labels.
Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules, food manufacturers are not required to give that information to consumers, as long as the composition of the biotech product does not otherwise differ from the nonbiotech version.
The industry does not consider such information relevant to consumers. "We support information for consumers that is meaningful and scientific-based," said Lisa Dry, a spokeswoman for the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
Phillips said the 42 consumers in her study were recruited at grocery stores in Southeastern Pennsylvania and divided into focus groups based on their familiarity with a series of food topics, such as organic foods and genetically modified organisms.