Discussions of appropriate regulatory norms for foods derived through modern biotechnology date back to the early 1980s. Almost 20 years later, agreement among key trading countries on what such norms should be remains elusive.  Some countries, including the United States and Canada, consider biotech or genetically modified (GM) foods substantially equivalent to conventional counterparts and regulate them similarly. Others, including the European Union (EU) and Japan, scrutinize and require mandatory labeling of GM foods.Opponents of mandatory labeling have argued that it is unwarranted and costly. Proponents have argued that it is necessary to safeguard the informed consumer choice. Both such arguments have found acceptance in different parts of the world, raising questions about the optimal regulatory approach to GM food labels and the factors that influence regulatory decisions. I address these questions in this paper.