GMO Food Labels Do Not Affect College Student Food Selection, Despite Negative Attitudes towards GMOs

Katrina Oselinsky, Ashlie Johnson, Pamela Lundeberg, Abby Johnson Holm, Megan Mueller and Dan J. Graham
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Katrina Oselinsky: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Ashlie Johnson: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Pamela Lundeberg: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Abby Johnson Holm: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Megan Mueller: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Dan J. Graham: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: US Public Law 114–216 dictates that food producers in the United States of America will be required to label foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) starting in 2022; however, there is little empirical evidence demonstrating how U.S. consumers would use food labels that indicate the presence or absence of GMOs. The aim of this two-phase study was to determine how attitudes towards GMOs relate to food choices and how labels indicating the presence or absence of GMOs differentially impact choices among college students—the age group which values transparent food labeling more than any other. Participants ( n = 434) made yes/no choices for each of 64 foods. In both phases of the study, participants were randomly assigned to seeing GMO Free labels, contains GMOs labels, or no GMO labels. Across the two phases, 85% of participants reported believing that GMOs were at least somewhat dangerous to health (42% believed GMOs to be dangerous), yet in both studies, although eye-tracking data verified that participants attended to the GMO labels, these labels did not significantly affect food choices. Although college consumers may believe GMOs to be dangerous, their food choices do not reflect this belief.

Keywords: GMO; food labels; food choice; attitude–behavior gap (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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