Naturally Misleading: FDA’s Unwillingness To Define “Natural” and the Quest for GMO Transparency Through State Mandatory Labeling Initiatives

Consumers across the country cannot help but notice that the natural food industry has caught onto their preferences for “all natural” food.  Natural food has developed into a thirty-seven billion dollar per year industry in response to consumers’ attraction to “all natural” products.  A robust segment of the “all natural” trend are the anti-genetically modified organisms supporters.  Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants or animals that are created by genetic engineering (GE)—combining deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from different species to create combinations that cannot occur in nature.  Anti-GMO advocates believe consumers have a right to know what is in the food products they are purchasing, including whether those products contain GMOs.