Is greater transparency really the answer to everything?
In such an environment, said Rousseau, we are often told that transparency is the answer, especially in relation to GMOs, on the grounds that maximum disclosure enables consumers to make an 'informed choice.' In reality, he said, some issues are so polarising, tribal, and influenced by confirmation bias, that two people who see the same disclosure will view it differently based on an understanding of what they think it means - an understanding which itself may be based on flawed evidence.
"So what you might actually doing is closing down the debate," said Rousseau. "Informed choice assumes that people are able to use that information and be properly responsive to the evidence they are getting."