Under the current system, labels are required to list the contents of a product. Nutritional labels are voluntary, Phillips said. The United Kingdom and Japan have adopted mandatory labeling for genetically modified foods and a dozen other countries are considering following suit. In Canada, Liberal MP Charles Caccia has tabled a private member's bill calling for such labeling. Phillips, however, said he's not convinced mandatory labeling works.
Some people are indifferent to what they eat.
Some people have very specific concerns. Joseph Caron, an analyst with the consumer-rights group Action Reseau Consommateur, argued that voluntary labels would not give people a clear choice. He estimated that up to 70 per cent of food products contain ingredients that at some point in processing were genetically modified. The only way to do that is with obligatory labeling. Click here to recommend this story to a friend.