According to recent food package labeling news reports, 84% of those surveyed in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll believe the U.S. government should require food packaging have nutrition labels – even those who essentially ignore the labels.

Under the Trump administration, the introduction of mandatory labeling of genetically engineered ingredients use and added sugars in packaged foods has been delayed by the government, no doubt making some companies who lobbied against these labeling changes during the previous administration, happy.

The poll revealed that 64% of Americans believe nutrition information should be required in restaurants, while only 13% claim to review nutrition information on packaging before deciding whether to purchase a product at the grocery store. One woman said that consumers should know what they’re buying, although she admitted that, while it feels good to know the government requires companies to track the ingredients in the foods they make, she wasn’t really interested in nutrition information.

In all, 57% of those polled said they would likely pay a bit more for foods that are locally grown, while 60% wanted to know more about the fat, salt, calories, and sugar in the foods they eat. The majority were concerned about how a food would impact their weight, rather than nutritional value.

On September 29, the FDA proposed allowing food manufacturers another 1 1/2 years to comply with new nutrition facts label requirements, a move nutritionists strongly disapprove.

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