Packaged Facts: National Academy of Science Declares GMOs Safe, Impact on Non-GMO Food Market Unclear

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May 19, 2016, 09:19 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The verdict is in and the ruling is in favor of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The National Academy of Science in a 388-page report recently reaffirmed its findings that GMOs pose no harm to humans and are safe to eat. The declaration comes after years of legislative battle at both the federal and state levels. It also, at least in theory, quiets some of the debate among a divided American population that witnessed a rise in concern over the potential effects of GMOs. This swelling distrust of GMOs subsequently created what to date has been a thriving market for foods and beverages marketed as non-GMO, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts.

Packaged Facts has published multiple reports on the topic of GMOs, including Food Formulation Trends: Ingredients Consumers Avoid, 2nd Edition (April 2016) and Non-GMO Foods: U.S. and Global Market Perspective, 2nd Edition (June 2015).

"The nation's most prestigious scientific group has evidently ended what had been an ongoing struggle between supporters and opponents of the use of GMOs in products for humans and feed for animals raised for human consumption," says David Sprinkle, research director, Packaged Facts. "What this means for the market for non-GMO foods and beverages is unclear, but these products will on some level likely still appeal to consumers who remain at least moderately skeptical despite the Academy's report."

Make no mistake, the market for non-GMO products has been on the upswing in recent years. Various sources indicate that in the U.S. new product launches making GMO-free claims has risen to about 2,000 per year nearly seven times what they were at the beginning of the decade. The biggest jump was from 2012 to 2013 as publicity around GMO labeling referendums instigated concerns among consumers previously unaware of the GMO issues. According to Packaged Facts, most of the U.S. growth has come in the snack foods category followed by dairy and bakery items. Sauces and seasonings and juice beverages have also been important categories in terms of non-GMO product introductions.

Packaged Facts estimates that retail sales of foods and beverages identified as non-GMO were approximately $200 billion in 2014. This represented about a quarter of all retail food and beverage sales for that year. Previously, Packaged Facts projected that non-GMO food and beverage retail sales would reach $330 billion by 2019, an increase of 65%. This was compared to retail sales of all food and beverages projected to only grow by 13% in that same period. The projection at this point is tempered until the full ramifications of the Academy's report on the non-GMO market become clearer.

Food Formulation Trends: Ingredients Consumers Avoid, 2nd Edition looks at the current state of food and ingredient avoidance in the U.S. It covers consumer attitudes and action. It also reviews some of the specific ingredients that consumers avoid because of a variety of health and wellness reasons, as well as some food production processes and packaging materials that many consumers choose to avoid. The report is available at:
http://www.packagedfacts.com/redirect.asp?progid=88717&productid=10040119.

Non-GMO Foods: U.S. and Global Market Perspective, 2^nd Edition reviews the stakeholders in the controversy, both pro- and anti-GMO, and the current intensifying conflict between them in the courts, legislatures, fields, stores, and restaurants in the U.S. and around the globe. The report also reviews new non-GMO food and beverages, as well as recent breakthroughs in GM foods and the reaction to them. In addition, the report offers growth projections for non-GMO food sales in the U.S. and global markets and the results of an exclusive Packaged Facts national online consumer survey regarding their beliefs about GMO foods. For more information visit: http://www.packagedfacts.com/redirect.asp?progid=88718&productid=8775964.

About Packaged Facts – Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer demographics and shopper insights, consumer financial products and services, consumer goods and retailing, consumer packaged goods, and pet products and services. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased at www.PackagedFacts.com and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

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SOURCE Packaged Facts