While shoppers want some labeling on food products containing genetically modified ingredients, it's not the top of mind issue for about 80 per cent of Canadians when they're buying groceries, says a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.“Although most Canadians would like to see mandatory labeling of at least some types of GMOs and tend to express some skepticism about the safety of such products, these concerns are generally not at the top of their minds when they go to the grocery store,” the pollster says. Affordability was top of mind for almost three-quarters of Canadians.“The focus on affordability is perhaps reflective of the nationwide concern about rising food prices documented in an Angus Reid Institute poll last year. In that poll, 57 per cent of Canadians said affording to feed their households had become more difficult in the preceding 12 months, and many reported changing their shopping habits in order to cope with costly grocery bills.“No other factor is mentioned by more than 40 per cent of respondents, and GMOs are named by fewer than one-in-five (19 per cent), lagging well behind concerns such as flavour, nutrition, and brand recognition, but ahead of the desire for organic or low-fat products,” the pollster said.About 30 per cent of respondents “say GMOs are one of the things they are most concerned about in their food, a total that puts GMO-worries below qualms about hormones and antibiotics, pesticides, and overly processed foods,” Angus Reid said. “GMO concerns do register much more with Canadians than fears about preservatives and artificial colours and flavours.”Earlier this year, an NDP bill to require mandatory GMO labelling was defeated by Liberal and Conservative MPs in the Commons. The GMO crops approved for use in Canada are corn used for livestock feed and industrial purposes, canola, soybeans and some sugar beets. As well there is a non-browning apple and the AquaBounty salmon.The Angus Reid poll found 33 per cent were unsure if foods containing GMO ingredients were safe to eat, 39 per cent say they're generally safe and 28 per cent say they are generally unsafe.“Dig a little deeper, however, and it becomes clear that most Canadians lack an understanding of what, exactly, GMOs are or how they are produced. Asked to rate their personal knowledge of GMOs, most Canadians (60 per cent) say they 'know a little bit about them,' a self-assessment borne out in their responses to knowledge-testing questions on the topic. Despite this, the vast majority of Canadians (83 per cent) say at least some GMOs should be subject to mandatory labeling in grocery stores, though the consensus is somewhat less clear on which types of GMOs ought to be subject to the rules.”The poll found most people think GMOs are produced through the insertion of a desired trait from one species into another such as the AquaAdvantage salmon. This is called recombinant DNA, one of three GMO processes. The other two are traditional cross breeding within a species to gain desired traits and mutagenesis, which uses chemicals or radiation to alter an organism's DNA so that it develops a desired trait.Fewer than half of those polled “correctly chose crossbreeding or mutagenesis while 62 per cent were able to successfully identify recombinant DNA as a GMO-producing process, Angus Reid said. Only 16 per cent were very familiar with GMOs while 24 per cent have only heard the term.“All of this echoes a recent report commissioned by Health Canada that concluded that Canadians' views of GMOs were “not that well-formed,” and shaped in part by “confusion, misinformation, and generally low awareness/understanding.”When asked which types of GMOs should be subject to mandatory labeling, 17 per cent said none while the remainder chose at least one of the three. “Fewer than two-in-five (38 per cent) would require traditionally crossbred crops and animals to be labeled as GMOs, while significantly larger totals – approaching two-in-three in each case – would require labeling for foods derived from mutagenesis and recombinant DNA techniques.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.