Only 43% of people in the US know that some of the food they are purchasing and eating is genetically modified (GM), according to a new survey. Additionally nearly one of four people incorrectly believes that such food is not being sold in the US.

The survey was conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), an industry group funded by food, beverage and agricultural industries.

Currently, the use of genetically modified food is a subject of enormous global controversy. Consumer and environmental groups have demanded that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follow the lead of the European Union, Japan and other nations by requiring labels on GM foods so consumers know what they are buying. The US government claims that such mandatory food labels are unnecessary because genetically modified food "poses no inherent safety risk".

Conductors of the industry sponsored phone survey never used the term "genetically modified", preferring the nicer sounding "foods produced through biotechnology".

Additionally, "87% of consumers agreed that education through toll-free numbers, brochures, and Web sites would provide better sources of information than food labels," one of the surveyors noted.