Consumer Response to Mandated Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods
This chapter presents market data showing that consumers are not willing to pay a premium for non-GM food when given a choice between GM and non-GM food. Its data come from the Netherlands and China, where GM and non-GM foods are labeled. In the Netherlands, consumers do not respond to labels on processed food with information about GM ingredients. In China, consumers do not respond to labels on soy oil that say it comes from GM soybeans. The authors believe that preferences consumers reveal in the marketplace are more significant than preferences consumers state in opinion surveys. They conclude that mandatory labeling does not bring benefits that justify its cost. Voluntary labeling can accommodate the minority who care about the difference between GM and non-GM foods.
Keywords: genetically modified foods, mandatory labeling, voluntary labeling, willingness to pay, China, the Netherlands, market data, revealed preferences, opinion surveys
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