I am sometimes surprised at the stances some libertarian-leaning folk take on food issues, particularly GMO labeling. But, over at Cafe Hayek, Don Boudreaux responds to a question on the issue precisely as I'd anticipate.
No. I believe that there is no justification for such a requirement [mandatory labeling of GMOs]. An important reason why I oppose such a requirement is that there are no non-arbitrary criteria to guide even the best-intentioned government in determining which sorts of information-disclosure to mandate and which not to mandate. The best practical rule is to allow competition among firms to determine which bits of information to disclose and how to disclose it.
Suppose (not unreasonably) that there are some consumers who would prefer not to buy foods harvested by ‘undocumented’ workers. Should government then require suppliers of fruits and vegetables to disclose whether or not they take steps to ensure that all of their workers have official U.S. Government permission to work as farm laborers in America? Suppose (not unreasonably) that some other consumers care about ‘gender equity’ in the workplace? Should government then require that each supplier of fruits or vegetables disclose information about what proportion of its workforce is women?
Suppose (not unreasonably) that yet some other consumers care about ‘sexual-preference equity’ in the workplace? Should government then require that each supplier of fruits or vegetables disclose information about what proportion of its workforce is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered? Suppose (not unreasonably) that some consumers care about the employment prospects of U.S. military veterans. Should government then require that each supplier of fruits or vegetables disclose information about what proportion of its workforce is made up of people who once served in the U.S. military? Suppose (not unreasonably) that some other consumers care deeply about ‘made in America.’ Should government then require that each supplier of fruits or vegetables disclose information about what proportion of its inputs were bought from American, as opposed to non-American, suppliers?