Safety, Benefits, and Transparency Are Critical to Consumer Acceptance of Innovative Foods

Innovative foods are in the marketplace and new ones are forthcoming. To obtain consumer acceptance, innovative foods must be safe, they must provide benefits, and there must be transparency. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or some similar independent body, must review safety data from the developer and confirm the product’s safety. Innovative food developers, and producers and retailers using these ingredients in their products, need to articulate the societal and individual benefits of the technologies they are using and the resulting products containing those ingredients. Traditional on-package and electronic information about innovative foods must be truthful and non-misleading, and it must clearly differentiate the products from foods produced using conventional methods. Without an independent safety determination, an explanation on the benefits of each application, and meaningful transparency, consumers could become suspicious of innovative foods and reject them.