GMO Labeling Debate Part of AAEA Annual Meeting

Groundbreaking law now in effect, but consumer controversy continues

GMO. Three little letters are causing huge controversy worldwide in the food and agriculture industries.

This month the state of Vermont enacted the first-ever law making it mandatory for companies to put labels on products containing genetically-engineered ingredients. Other states are looking to follow suit while opponents, including those in the U.S. Senate, are working to render Vermont’s law useless.

Jane Kolodinsky, professor at the University of Vermont, has conducted research on the economics of information for nearly 30 years, including studies specifically on GMO labeling.

“In my view,” Kolodinsky said, “the proposed federal legislation, while consistent across the country, makes it very difficult for consumers to obtain the information they want to know; namely, whether a product has been produced using GM technology or ingredients.”

Kolodinsky will take part in a session at the 2016 Agricultural & Applied Economics (AAEA) Annual Meeting in Boston entitled: “What’s in a Label? The Research, Politics, and Policy of Genetically Modified Product’s Labeling in the United States.”

Moderated by AAEA President Jill McCluskey, the session will include four researchers discussing the role public trust, the media, and politicians play in this debate.

This session is Monday, August 1, 2016, at 2:15 PM at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, in the Fairfield Room on the third floor. If you are interested in setting up an interview before or during the meeting, please contact Jay Saunders in the AAEA Business Office.

Contact: Allison Scheetz
Senior Communications Manager
(414) 918-3190
Email: ascheetz@aaea.org