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Consumers deserve the right to know what's in their food - and obviously, most people want that choice. It's hard to see how more knowledge about the products we eat every day can hurt us.

Perhaps more than any other, the food industry is very sensitive to consumer demand.

It's not just a matter of poor willpower on the part of the consumer and a give-the-people-what-they-want attitude on the part of the food manufacturers. What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort... to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive.

Poll after poll shows that consumers want the right to know what's in their food and how it's produced. Because our food choices have such a significant impact on our lives, this is a trend that should be welcomed, not frustrated.

I think we are living in a time where the consumer has lots of choices, whether it's coffee, newspapers or whatever it is. And there is parity in the market place, and as a result of that, the consumer is beginning to make decisions, not just on what things cost and the convenience of it.

Companies are very, very good - better than consumers themselves - at knowing what consumers are actually craving.

I also believe that it's the right thing to do, to maintain strong consumer confidence in our food systems. And I believe that the consumer should have strong confidence in our food systems.

If consumers make better choices, the marketplace will change.

I think traditional supermarkets have to pay attention to the fact that America is more and more conscious of lifestyle.

People do care where their food, or other goods, comes from, not merely if the price is right. And that means no business can afford to ignore the impacts their buying practices have on producers and on the perceptions and choices of consumers.