Exploring the GMO narrative through labeling: strategies, products, and politics

ABSTRACT

Labels are influential signals in the marketplace intended to inform and to eliminate buyer confusion. Despite this, food labels continue to be the subject of debate. None more so than non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) labels. This manuscript provides a timeline of the evolution of GMO labels beginning with the early history of the anti-GMO movement to the current National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard in the United States. Using media and market intelligence data collected through Buzzsumo™ and Mintel™, public discourse of GMOs is analyzed in relation to sociopolitical events and the number of new food products with anti-GMO labels, respectively. Policy document and publication data is collected with Overton™ to illustrate the policy landscape for the GMO topic and how it has changed over time. Analysis of the collective data illustrates that while social media and policy engagement around the topic of GMOs has diminished over time, the number of new products with a GMO-free designation continues to grow. While discourse peaked at one point, and has since declined, our results suggest that the legacy of an anti-GMO narrative remains firmly embedded in the social psyche, evidenced by the continuing rise of products with GMO-free designation. Campaigns for GMO food labels to satisfy consumers’ right to know were successful and the perceived need for this information now appears to be self-sustaining.

KEYWORDS:

• Disinformation
• genetically modified organisms
• GMOs
• labeling
• misinformation
• public perceptions
• right to know
• social media

Acknowledgement

The authors thank John Vicini and Emily Scholting, both of Bayer Crop Science, for their support and helpful comments in the development of this manuscript. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Jennifer Temming who creatively brought the timeline graphics to life for this study.

Disclosure statement

All authors, at the time of development of the manuscript, were employees of Bayer Crop Science or MilliporeSigma (Calgary, Canada or St. Louis, Missouri). Note: SG was a BCS employee in the early stages of manuscript development and eventually moved onto MS.

Authors’ Contributions

CDR served as lead author for this work, envisioning the scale and scope of the project and was key in crafting the background and literature review. JTS served as co-lead, responsible for overseeing data, analysis, and editing of manuscript drafts. SG, BH, and AJS were instrumental in contributing data, analysis, and in contributing to editing efforts.

Availability of Data and Materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from BuzzSumo™, Mintel™, and Overton™ but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and raw data are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon request and with permission of these vendors.

Consent for Publication

Data gathered, presented, and analyzed in this manuscript was obtained through three vendors: BuzzSumo™, Mintel™, and Overton™. The completed manuscript navigated Bayer Crop Science’s internal peer review process and received approval for submission to GM Crops & Food.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study did not involve human participants, human data or human tissue.

Notes

^a. Alfalfa, apple (Arctic™ varieties), canola, corn, cotton, eggplant, papaya, pineapple (PinkGlow™ Rose), potato, soybean, squash, and sugar beets Other notable GMO crops: Bt brinjal (eggplant) was commercialized in 2013 and is grown in Bangladesh and disease-resistant varieties of cassava are being developed for Africa. A drought tolerant wheat is expected to be released in Brazil later this year. While steps have been made for commercial production of GoldenRice in the Philippines, opposition by activists continue to create roadblocks for its release into the market. AquAdvantage® salmon was approved for human consumption in 2021 but continues to be the subject of controversy. The company recently announced that it will discontinue production at its Canadian plant.

^b. BuzzSumo™ (BuzzSumo, Brighton and Hove, UK). Data Collection Search String: “gmo OR gmos OR ‘genetically modified’ OR ‘genetically modify’ OR ‘genetic modification’ OR ‘genetically engineer’ OR ‘genetically engineered’ OR ‘genetic engineering’ -bitcoin -internet -bacteria -animal -embryo -HIV” Terms preceded by a “-” were specifically excluded from the data collection to reduce irrelevant data.

Additional information

Funding

This work represents the collective work and interests of the authors involved who are all paid employees of either Bayer Crop Science or MilliporeSigma.