Effects of the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard: Willingness To Pay for Labels that Communicate the Presence or Absence of Genetic Modification

After much debate, the United States recently adopted a law that will require mandatory labeling of genetically modified (GM) food. We elicit willingness-to-pay (WTP) for manufactured and fresh foods that communicate the presence or absence of GM material. We find that a text disclosing the presence of GM material lowers WTP relative to a QR code disclosure that must be scanned. Furthermore, participants perceive Non-GMO Project verified and organic as substitutes; WTP premiums for a product with both Non-GMO Project verified and organic labels is about the same as the WTP premium when either label is present in isolation.