regular basis in order to make money - their argument holds no weight. Anti-GMO activists are quick to point out that this excuse is merely a scare tactic used to terrorize consumers into voting against mandatory labeling. In fact, the corporations’ arguments about increased costs associated with labeling appear to be working on the public at large, who have overwhelmingly voted against mandatory labeling in regard to states’ initiatives.15 Confusion in Labeling: An important point to make is current U.S. labeling laws are confusing, partially by design, but mainly too many consumers lack basic knowledge about GMOs and labeling of them. For instance, the USDA regulates the voluntary labeling of “organic” foods, but there several different organic food labels, all with very different meanings. Most would think it’s safe to assume …show more content…
indicates that Americans want to know what their food is made of, but ballot box results seem to paint a different picture. A mandatory labeling law hasn’t passed by voters in any state as of yet. In the states of California, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, and several others there has been little progress made on the side of required GM food labeling. In California, Proposition 37, which would have mandated labeling for GM foods was voted down by constituents, fearful of food prices skyrocketing.18 Legislators in other states passed labeling requirements, but those were easily negated when President Barack Obama signed the SMART Label Law which came into effect in July, 2016.19 The SMART label is a QR code printed on packaged foods that consumers scan for information about the food, such as calorie count, GM ingredients, fat content, potential allergens, and more.20 An example is below in Figure three. The SMART Label Law is a form of mandatory labeling, but opponents say it doesn’t go far enough, and it pre-empts states’ laws that have stricter