Labeling Policy Research Articles

Event-specific quantitative detection of genetically modified wheat B72-8-11 based on the 3′ flanking sequence

Various PCR technologies have been developed for the execution of genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling policies of which an event-specific PCR detection method based on the flanking sequence of exogenous inserted DNA is the key trend in GMO detection due to its high specificity. In this study, 3′ flanking sequence between the host wheat DNA and the exogenous integrated gene construct of pHMW1Dx5 vector in transgenic wheat B72-8-11 was revealed by means of adaptor PCR, thus the fragment with the length of 210 bp was obtained, including a 144 bp unknown wheat genome DNA sequence. The event-specific quantitative PCR primers were designed based upon the revealed 3′ flanking sequence, and a SYBR Green I real-time PCR assay was subsequently applied. In the quantitative SYBR Green I real-time PCR assay, the LOD and LOQ were 10 and 20 haploid genome copies, respectively. In addition, three mixed wheat B72-8-11 samples with known contents were detected using this established quantitative PCR system, and the ideal results indicated that the developed event-specific quantitative PCR detection method could be used for identification and quantification of B72-8-11 wheat and its derivates.

The Economics of Voluntary Versus Mandatory Labels

Labels address a market failure—asymmetric information—through costly expenditures borne by consumers, firms, and taxpayers. In this review, we explore when mandatory and voluntary labeling policies may be socially optimal. Although the analysis ostensibly revolves around simple comparisons of labeling costs and the subsequent benefits from improved information symmetry, more symmetric information may alter social welfare in other ways, e.g., by altering the production of externalities, the exercise of market power, or expenditures on rent-seeking activities. We review work that contributes to a more complete analysis of the relative merits of mandatory and voluntary labeling; that assesses the distribution of welfare effects across affected groups; and that discusses political economy issues, particularly in the context of voluntary labels in international trade. We summarize key patterns of results concerning the relative desirability of mandatory and voluntary labels and discuss likely future directions in this evolving literature.

The economic value to smokers of graphic warning labels on cigarettes: Evidence from combining market and experimental auction data

Many countries now require prominent pictorial health warning labels (HWLs) on the front and back of cigarette packages. In the US, pictorial HWLs have been adopted, but tobacco industry litigation has delayed their implementation. This intervention could have value to smokers, if it increases their information and changes their smoking behavior. In this paper we estimate the value of two different health warning labels for cigarette packages relative to the current US labeling policy. Our methodology does not depend on the personal values of policy makers or other individuals, as the value of information estimates we derive are based solely on smokers’ own consumption choices, not any public health or other effects. We introduce an approach to valuing information with a surplus measure that couples willingness-to-pay from non-hypothetical experimental auctions with time-series revealed preference demand estimates. We find that a pictorial HWL has a large value to smokers, and a higher value than a label that only contains text, insofar as changing purchase behavior.

Languages of Watson-Crick Petri Net

Watson-Crick automata are one of the automata types that are used for transitions with two reading heads. This automata work on double stranded sequencesrelated by a complementarity relation similar with the Watson-Crick complementarity of DNA molecules. Watson-Crick automata can be related to a Petri net, which is a graphical and mathematical formalism suitable for the modeling and analysis of concurrent, asynchronous and distributed systems.From the relation between Watson-Crick automata and Petri net, a new model namely Watson-Crick Petri net has been developed. In this paper, a new variant of Watson-Crick automata with Petri net as a control unit is introduced. We also presented various types of Watson-Crick Petri nets that are generated using transitions labelled with various labelling policies and finite sets of final markings.

Direction of Policy Convergence in the EU: The Case of Genetically Modified Maize Labelling Policies

The aim of this article is to contribute to the academic dialogue of policy convergence by examining the direction taken by the policy to label genetically modified maize in the European Union. Considering international harmonisation as the causal mechanism, this article provides a chronological account of policy outputs, understood as directives and regulations related to this policy area. Additionally, there is an analysis of the increase of the degree of policy convergence. Furthermore, different national perspectives on the issue are presented, offering an insight about policy direction in terms of the interaction that governments of member states have between them and with the European Commission. Concomitantly, the direction that policy convergence takes points at strengthening member states’ views of developing stricter rules through time. Subsequently, results demonstrate that policy convergence can appear only with member states’ consent, regardless of the position that regional institutions may have; although they may influence the process to some extent. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the current direction should be taken for granted.

Governing through choice: Food labels and the confluence of food industry and public health discourse to create ‘healthy consumers’

Food industry and public health representatives are often in conflict, particularly over food labelling policies and regulation. Food corporations are suspicious of regulated labels and perceive them as a threat to free market enterprise, opting instead for voluntary labels. Public health and consumer groups, in contrast, argue that regulated and easy-to-read labels are essential for consumers to exercise autonomy and make healthy choices in the face of food industry marketing. Although public health and food industry have distinct interests and objectives, I argue that both contribute to the creation of the food label as a governmental strategy that depends on free-market logics to secure individual and population health. While criticism of ‘Big Food’ has become a growth industry in academic publishing and research, wider critique is needed that also includes the activities of public health. Such a critique needs to address the normalizing effect of neoliberal governmentality within which both the food industry and public health operate to reinforce individuals as ‘healthy consumers’. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s lectures at the Collège de France, I examine the food label through the lens of governmentality. I argue that the rationale operating through the food label combines nutrition science and free-market logics to normalize subjects as responsible for their own health and reinforces the idea of consumption as a means to secure population health from diet-related chronic diseases.

PRODUCER AND CONSUMER RESPONSES TO GREEN HOUSING LABELS

We find “green” labels increase residential property values by an average of 5%. This premium varies by label stringency and across market segments. Builders respond to the stringency of labels by strategically incorporating green features to achieve higher ratings. This strategy seems reasonable as there is no market premium for green features that lead to scores between label rating cutoff values. These results raise important questions as to how green label policies should be designed in order to foster the supply of green features. Gradations of green attributes are influential, particularly for highly rated homes. The most stringent labels have the greatest role at the high price end of the market. (JEL Q20, Q40, R31)

Calorie labeling and consumer estimation of calories purchased.

BackgroundStudies rarely find fewer calories purchased following calorie labeling implementation. However, few studies consider whether estimates of the number of calories purchased improved following calorie labeling legislation.FindingsResearchers surveyed customers and collected purchase receipts at fast food restaurants in the United States cities of Philadelphia (which implemented calorie labeling policies) and Baltimore (a matched comparison city) in December 2009 (pre-implementation) and June 2010 (post-implementation). A difference-in-difference design was used to examine the difference between estimated and actual calories purchased, and the odds of underestimating calories.Participants in both cities, both pre- and post-calorie labeling, tended to underestimate calories purchased, by an average 216–409 calories. Adjusted difference-in-differences in estimated-actual calories were significant for individuals who ordered small meals and those with some college education (accuracy in Philadelphia improved by 78 and 231 calories, respectively, relative to Baltimore, p = 0.03-0.04). However, categorical accuracy was similar; the adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for underestimation by >100 calories was 0.90 (p = 0.48) in difference-in-difference models. Accuracy was most improved for subjects with a BA or higher education (AOR = 0.25, p < 0.001) and for individuals ordering small meals (AOR = 0.54, p = 0.001). Accuracy worsened for females (AOR = 1.38, p < 0.001) and for individuals ordering large meals (AOR = 1.27, p = 0.028).ConclusionsWe concluded that the odds of underestimating calories varied by subgroup, suggesting that at some level, consumers may incorporate labeling information.

Equity in Public Health Ethics: The Case of Menu Labelling Policy at the Local Level

Equity in Public Health Ethics: The Case of Menu Labelling Policy at the Local Level

Producer and Consumer Responses to Green Housing Labels

We find “green” labels increase residential property values by an average of 5%. This premium varies by label stringency and across market segments. Builders respond to the stringency of labels by strategically incorporating green features to achieve higher ratings. This strategy seems reasonable as there is no market premium for green features that lead to scores between label rating cutoff values. These results raise important questions as to how green label policies should be designed in order to foster the supply of green features. Gradations of green attributes are influential, particularly for highly rated homes. The most stringent labels have the greatest role at the high price end of the market.

Design of incentive programs for accelerating penetration of energy-efficient appliances

Incentives are policy tools that sway purchase, retail stocking, and production decisions toward energy-efficient products. Incentives complement mandatory standards and labeling policies by accelerating market penetration of products that are more energy efficient than required by existing standards and by preparing the market for more stringent future mandatory requirements. Incentives can be directed at different points in the appliance׳s supply chain; one point may be more effective than another depending on the technology׳s maturity and market penetration. This paper seeks to inform future policy and program design by categorizing the main elements of incentive programs from around the world. We identify advantages and disadvantages of program designs through a qualitative overview of incentive programs worldwide. We find that financial incentive programs have greater impact when they target highly efficient technologies with a small market share, and that program designs depend on the market barriers addressed, the target equipment, and the local market context. No program design is inherently superior to another. The key to successful program design and implementation is a thorough understanding of the market and identification of the most important local obstacles to the penetration of energy-efficient technologies.

A novel quadruplex real-time PCR method for simultaneous detection of Cry2Ae and two genetically modified cotton events (GHB119 and T304-40).

BackgroundTo date, over 150 genetically modified (GM) crops are widely cultivated. To comply with regulations developed for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including labeling policies, many detection methods for GMO identification and quantification have been developed.ResultsTo detect the entrance and exit of unauthorized GM crop events in China, we developed a novel quadruplex real-time PCR method for simultaneous detection and quantification of GM cotton events GHB119 and T304-40 in cotton-derived products (based on the 5′-flanking sequence) and the insect-resistance gene Cry2Ae. The limit of detection was 10 copies for GHB119 and Cry2Ae and 25 copies for T304-40. The limit of quantification was 25 copies for GHB119 and Cry2Ae and 50 copies for T304-40. Moreover, low bias and acceptable standard deviation and relative standard deviation values were obtained in quantification analysis of six blind samples containing different GHB119 and T304-40 ingredients.ConclusionsThe developed quadruplex quantitative method could be used for quantitative detection of two GM cotton events (GHB119 and T304-40) and Cry2Ae gene ingredient in cotton derived products.

“I’ll have what he’s having”: Group ordering behavior in food choice decisions

Current research has focused on whether nutrition labeling and pricing policies (e.g., soda taxes) influence food decisions; however, less attention has been given to how peers influence one’s food decisions. This study uses sales receipts from a full-service restaurant to take a closer look at how people order in groups. Results of the study revealed people may be less variety-seeking than previous research suggests; in fact, diners were more likely to seek variety when choosing an individual item, but not when choosing a menu category. In other words, diners wanted to be different from their dining companions, but not too different. This result was further confirmed with a model of food choice which shows diners derived more utility from an entrée when a fellow diner ordered an entrée in the same category. Interestingly, the presence of calorie labels on menus did not change the marginal utility of calories, suggesting peer effects may outweigh the effects of nutritional information.

Proposed FDA Generic Drug Labeling Policy Questioned

A group of House and Senate Republicans sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, questioning the FDA’s proposed regulation to allow generic drug companies to unilaterally change their drug labeling information.

Developing a rapid and sensitive method for determination of trans-fatty acids in edible oils using middle-infrared spectroscopy

Several countries have adopted labelling policy concerning the declaration of trans fatty acids (TFAs) content in the nutritional facts panel of processed food. Consequently, the food industry requires rapid methods to measure low levels of TFAs. This paper reports the development of a rapid method to determine TFAs <1% in edible oils (palm, peanut, soybean and sunflower) and oils/fat samples extracted from finished products using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Traditional linear regression and Partial Least Squares (PLS) statistical tools were applied to model the spectroscopic data. The calibration models of edible oils/fat samples showed a coefficient-of-correlation ⩾0.982 and standard error of prediction (SEP) between 0.03% and 0.06%. The ATR-FTIR results of extracted oils/fat are in good agreement with the capillary gas chromatography with flame ionisation detector (GC/FID). This study has demonstrated that ATR-FTIR technique can be used to rapidly determine trans fatty acids <1% in oils/fat.

Predicting Visual Attention to Nutrition Information on Food Products: The Influence of Motivation and Ability

Obesity is linked to numerous diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To address this issue, food and beverage manufacturers as well as health organizations have developed nutrition symbols and logos to be placed on the front of food packages to guide consumers to more healthful food choices. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested information on the extent to which consumers notice, use, and understand front-of-package nutrition symbols. In response, this study used eye-tracking technology to explore the degree to which people pay visual attention to the information contained in food nutrition labels and front-of-package nutrition symbols. Results indicate that people with motivation to shop for healthful foods spent significantly more time looking at all available nutrition information compared to people with motivation to shop for products on the basis of taste. Implications of these results for message design, food labeling, and public policy are discussed.

European consumer preferences for beef with nutrition and health claims: A multi-country investigation using discrete choice experiments

The European Union (EU) nutrition labelling policy aims to facilitate consumers’ food choice, stimulate innovation and facilitate the circulation of foods bearing claims across countries. However, the beef industry has not fully taken advantage of utilizing nutrition and health claims based on the EU nutrition labelling policy to differentiate beef products in the market. This study investigates consumer preferences for nutrition and health claims on lean beef steak. Two choice experiments were conducted among 2400 beef consumers in four EU countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, United and United Kingdom). Multinomial logit and error component models were estimated. Our results generally suggest that consumer valuation of nutritional and health claims varies across countries. In Belgium, the Netherlands and France, nutrition and health claims on saturated fat yielded higher utilities than claims on protein and/or iron, while the opposite was found among consumers in the UK. The results imply that marketing opportunities related to nutrition and health claims on beef are promising, but that different nutritional marketing strategies are necessary within different countries.

Consumer understanding and use of country-of-origin in food choice

Purpose – This study aimed to investigate consumers' understanding of country of origin (CoO) information and its relative importance in the context of their everyday food purchase decisions. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional intercept survey of 402 consumers in two cities in New Zealand was conducted. Respondents were asked to describe what they had considered when selecting a food item in their trolley. This was followed by questions to assess respondents' knowledge of CoO and their use and understanding of common CoO labels. Findings – Price (42 per cent), taste (40 per cent), health (18 per cent), and quality (18 per cent) were the most important factors that respondents mentioned. Only 3.5 per cent of respondents mentioned CoO as one of the factors influencing their decision. Of respondents 61 per cent, when prompted, stated that they knew the CoO of the food product selected. Of these respondents, 90 per cent were correct. Of respondents 62 per cent stated that they look at CoO labels when making food purchase decisions. Yet, only one third of respondents correctly understood the difference between the “Made in” and “Product of” labels. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that consumers that do access CoO labels are misinterpreting this information which may form the basis of their assumptions about the source of origin of the brands and food products they routinely purchase. Practical implications – Mandatory CoO labelling policies may add costs and reinforce misconceptions that consumers already hold about the meaning of these labels. Originality/value – This study contributes to understanding of the extent to which consumers are competent in their knowledge and understanding of these informational labels.

‘If labels for GM food were present, would consumers trust them?’ Insights from a consumer survey in Uganda

AbstractFood labelling is costly. Food labelling is often demanded with the introduction of new food products such as genetically modified (GM) food. If consumers do not have trust in the label, scarce resources are wasted. This paper investigates factors affecting the trust in food labels among Ugandan consumers. The results suggest that older, less-educated individuals of smaller household sizes and with trust in government institutions have more trust in food labels. Other factors were also found to be important. The government has to consider those differences in consumer trust when designing a GM labelling policy.

Detection of Genetically Modified Tomato Using PCR Coupled with &lt;I&gt;μ&lt;/I&gt;Paraflo™ Microfluidics Microarrays

Genetically modified (GM) tomatoes have been approved for commercialization in many countries since the first GM tomato FLAVR SAVR was permitted for planting in 1994. To meet the requirement of the GM tomatoes labeling policy, in this study we firstly set up the conventional PCR and multiplex PCR detection system for screening the universal elements transformed into tomato, such as cauliflower mosaic virus 35s (CaMV 35s) promoter, nopaline synthase (nos) terminator of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, neomycinphosphotransferase (nptII) gene, and the specifically inserted heterologous DNA sequence between CaMV 35s promoter and anti-sense ethylene-forming enzyme (anti-EFE) gene in GM tomato "Huafan No. 1." Tomato lat52, mcpi, fru and apx genes were used as endogenous reference genes. Besides these, a muParaflo microfluidic microarray was also developed to screen the exogenous or endogenous genes of GM tomatoes. A total of 957 probes were designed, which can be classified into two categories according to their purpose: the first for screening GM plants from un-transgenic plants based on the common elements such as promoter, reporter and terminator genes, and the second for specific gene confirmation based on target sequences such as anti-EFE or aminocyclopropane cyclase synthase (acc) gene. To ensure the reliability of this method, different kinds of positive and negative controls (such as the probes complementary to cp gene of CaMV) were included in microarray detection system. Four tomato species were identified by means of these methods, and the results indicated that microarray is a high-throughput and more efficient screening method, which could complement PCR-based screening procedures by providing direct conclusive evidence and also may be useful to resolve masking of unknown events by known events.