In yet another example of the widespread effects of the grassroots movement for food transparency and integrity, the organization Consumer Reports has come out in support of GMO labeling, while also sharing new findings on the popular ‘CBS This Morning’ TV program.
The push for GMO labeling is the only ballot issue the Consumer Reports non-profit has become involved in this fall, and it is reportedly supporting GMO labeling in large part because of labels that have routinely begun to confuse consumers who mistakenly buy products they believe to be natural.
According to Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., who appeared on the program and leads and directs the Consumer Safety and Sustainability Group, 64 percent of people surveyed believe that food products labeled “natural” are free from GMOs.
Consumer Reports recently came out in favor of GMO labeling on CBS News.
In addition, 92 percent of those surveyed want GMOs labeled and 72% said they “don’t want GMOs in their food.”
And yet the results of recent Consumer Reports tests show that avoiding GMOs is very hard to do unless the product is clearly labeled as one that does not include them.
“Here’s what we found,” said Rangan about a study of over 80 processed foods containing corn and soy-based ingredients, “if a product didn’t have a (non-GMO or organic) claim on it, it was likely to contain GMO corn and soy.”
This November, voters in Colorado and Oregon will decide whether GMOs should be labeled. Previous ballot measures have failed in California and Washington despite early poll statistics in favor of labeling, before massive spending on behalf of large food and agrochemical interests turned the tide.
Those measures failed in large part due to deceptive campaigns promising pain at the cash register for families due to prospective price increases caused by GMO labeling.
But a new study released by Consumers Union found that the costs of labeling would only be about $2.30 per person per year.
Consumer Reports GMO Findings Go Mainstream
Thanks in large part to the millions of supporters of organic and non-GMO food, GMO issues and reports are finally making their way to the mainstream.
In the clip below, Rangan enlightens CBS anchors on the myriad problems surrounding GMOs and why labeling and transparency are so important as a first step for consumers.
“There’s a lot of controversy about GMOs, unfortunately they’re not required to be proven to be safe before they get out on the market,” she said.
“So we’re kind of learning that in a backwards direction (whether they’re safe or not).”
You can watch the full segment from CBS by clicking on the video player below.
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About Nick Meyer
