Informing consumers about what's in the food they buy is the idea behind the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to require that more informative nutrition labels be slapped on packaged foods beginning in 2018.

Food manufacturers and agricultural producers should be equally transparent about labeling products that are made with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, particularly considering the release of an extensive scientific study last week showing there is no evidence they are a danger to human health.

As consumers become more educated about ingredients in the foods they eat and buy, they are demanding more information. That's to be expected and should be encouraged as the nation continues to fight obstinate health problems, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Besides, people just want to know what they're putting in their stomachs.

Health issues cost us all in the long-run in the form of higher medical and insurance expenses. The problems can be controlled in some cases through diet and exercise. People maximize their ability to control what they eat when they're better informed about food ingredients.

Likewise, consumers should have the same choice when deciding whether they want to buy foods that are made with GMOs. The industry's effort to prevent such labeling frightens consumers into fearing the foods may be dangerous.

Instead, the food and agricultural industries should capitalize on a 400-page report released last week by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Based on a review of nearly 900 studies and years of disease data, the report found no increase in health risks from the consumption of genetically modified foods.

GMO opponents, of course, remain unconvinced. They denounced the report, asserting it was funded largely by food and agricultural interests. Some opponents worry less about health dangers than the possibility that GMOs can unalterably upset the balance of nature.

Opposition to GMO use is no reason to keep the information secret. If there is nothing to hide, which seems to be the scientific consensus, let consumers know. GMO information should be treated the same as other ingredients and nutrition listed on the new food labels.

Food products from genetically modified crops have been in wide use since the 1990s, when agricultural concerns began incorporating genes resistant to pests and herbicides. Creve Coeur, Missouri-based Monsanto was an early developer of such crops and says it favors a uniform, national labeling solution to eliminate confusion and costs that would arise from a variety of state laws.

That makes sense. Vermont has passed a new labeling law requiring genetically modified foods to be labeled "produced with genetic engineering." That's too cryptic and doesn't provide enough information for consumers.

We support a national labeling solution as the most transparent way to help consumers make decisions that are right for them.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH