Non-GMO foods to account for 30% of market by 2017

(http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com) Packaged Facts recently released a report stating that U.S. retail sales of non-GMO foods and beverages are projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 12.9% in the next five years and could represent 30% of the market by 2017.

However, they also predict that if GMO labeling becomes mandatory, non-GMO sales could make up 40% of the market by 2017 due to the demand for organic and natural foods.

According to a survey that Packaged Facts released June 2013, consumers who are most concerned about GMOs in food are mothers in their mid-30s with young children that live in urban middle class households. Furthermore, the closer a consumer lives to an urban center, the more likely they are to buy groceries with non-GMO labels.

Additionally, they reported that a high percentage of shopper support GMO labeling, even though less than one third of the shoppers buy products specifically labeled as non-GMO. This could be because not all consumers have convenient or affordable access to non-GMO labeled products, though with growing awareness and efforts to label GMO products, this could soon change. It is clear that the majority of consumers are in favor of at least knowing what's in their food, and the numbers indicate that a growing amount of shoppers would rather eat healthy, natural foods than GMOs.