A Study of Consumer Behaviour towards Genetically Modified Foods and the Moderating Effects of Health Consciousness

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Singhal
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Ethical Consumption ◽  
Consumer Attitude ◽  
Health Consciousness ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Government ◽  
Major Factors

With growing environmentalism and health concerns, people have become more conscious of the types of food they consume and the way they are processed. The principle of the present research paper is to explore the behaviour of consumers towards genetically modified (GM) foods and the moderating role of health consciousness. The rationale behind the present study is to address the gap in the past research work wherein most of the researchers have emphasized on major factors that influence consumption of GM foods such as product acceptance, information, higher income and ethical consumption. Findings This paper explores the effect of consumer’s health consciousness on their GM food purchase. The key purpose of the study is to explore the influence of health consciousness of consumers in moderating consumer attitude towards their behaviour in context of GM food products. The results suggest that information provided by the government and the trusted regulatory help consumers to form positive attitude towards GM foods. Practical implications The findings suggest that the marketer should revolve advertisement and marketing strategies around the issues pertaining consumer’s health consciousness. Moreover, government and other trusted regulatory must ensure consumers that GM food are healthy and superior to conventional food. Originality/value This is one of the primary studies to examine the moderating effect of a health consciousness that bears on GM foods. Its empirical findings are projected to benefit the sustained expansion of GM foods.

scholarly journals The Chinese public’s awareness and attitudes toward genetically modified foods with different labeling

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawei Zhao ◽  
Haiyan Deng ◽  
Changxin Yu ◽  
Ruifa Hu
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Food Labeling ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Chinese Public

Abstracts This paper analyzes the awareness and attitudes of the Chinese public toward genetically modified (GM) foods with different types of labeling and evaluates the impact of public confidence in the government management of GM food labeling has on their attitude. From 2015 to 2016, we conducted a series of surveys to collect data from 1730 respondents, which included consumers, farmers, media, and local agricultural officials in agricultural departments. The results show ~60% of the Chinese public do not know that they usually consume or purchase GM products or products containing GM ingredients. Nearly 80% of the Chinese public are accepting foods labeled as not containing GM ingredients, 57% are accepting foods without labeling, and ~40% are accepting GM-labeled foods. The respondents with a lack of confidence in the government are less likely to embrace GM foods. Those that are more aware of GM products are more likely to accept GM labeled foods. The group having the most positive attitude toward GM-labeled foods is the media, followed by agricultural officials, while the group having the most negative attitude toward GM labeled foods is farmers. Our findings provide an empirical basis to inform GM food labeling policy discussions and possible revisions, which may promote the development of GM foods in China.

scholarly journals Public Perception on Labeling Genetically Modified (GM) Foods in Ghana: Implications for Food Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 25-37
Author(s):  
Richard Ampadu-Ameyaw ◽  
Johnny Owusu-Arthur ◽  
Kwame Dei Asamoah-Okyere
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Food Ingredients ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Choice Variable

Labeling of genetically modified (GM) food and other food ingredients from GM source has become an important national policy issues receiving serious attention not only in Ghana but globally.   This paper focused on public perceptions of labeling of GM foods in Ghana as a way of garnering a view of the public understanding of the technology that has become so much controversial for which several millions of public sector money is spent on education in the last few years. The survey which elapsed over a period of three months, shows results that indicate a dearth of knowledge on the technology and yet a high demand for labelling of the products, even though not many people read the labels on food products. This leads to the question as to ‘who is doing the listening’. The authors conclude that the limited knowledge and technology essentials among others explain why the public seems to reject the technology and call for labelling of the products in spite of the fact that labelling is nothing but a choice variable, which has nothing to do with safety measure. Modifying the present attitude of the opponents of the technology and the demanders of labelling ignoring the cost that may be involved require extensive education and awareness creations throughout the country using tailor made communication forms to address various different groups.

A crisis of consumers’ trust in scientists and its influence on consumer attitude toward genetically modified foods

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Deng ◽  
Ruifa Hu
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Biotech Products ◽  
Gm Technology

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine Chinese consumers’ attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) foods and the impact that consumers’ trust in different actors – GM scientists, non-GM scientists or individuals, the government and the media, has on their attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Consumers in Beijing were surveyed about their attitudes toward GM foods and their trust in different actors. The surveys were conducted from June to July of 2015. The sample size is 1,460 people. Given the potential endogeneity of trust variable, bivariate probit models are employed to estimate the impact of trust in different actors on consumers’ attitudes. Findings The results show that 55 percent of the Chinese consumers are opposed to GM foods and nearly 60 percent do not trust GM scientists. In total, 42 percent of Chinese consumers trust in the government and 39 percent trust the non-GM scientists or individuals. Around 35 percent of consumers believe the misinformation on GM technology that were provided by the media. Trust in the GM scientists and trust in the government have a significant positive impact on consumers’ acceptance of GM foods while trust in the non-GM scientists or individuals and believing the misinformation have a significant negative effect on the acceptance. Nearly 70 percent of Chinese consumers acquired information about GM food safety from the internet or via WeChat. Consumers who acquired GM technology information from the internet or via WeChat are less likely to embrace GM foods than those who obtain information from other sources. Originality/value Consumer trust plays a crucial role to accept biotech products in the market and it is crucial for producers, policy makers and consumers to have faith in new biotech products. The results of this study suggest that the government and GM scientists should make more effort to gain the trust and support of consumers, while the media should provide objective reports on GM products based on scientific evidence.

Honey produced from genetically modified canola (Brassica napus) nectar will not need to be labelled as a GM food under current Australian guidelines

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hornitzky ◽  
A. Ghalayini
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Napus ◽  
Genetic Modification ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Pollen Content

Food or ingredients labelled as genetically modified (GM) contain either new genetic material or protein as a result of genetic modification. In Australia, a 1% threshold, below which labelling is not required, exists for the unintended presence of GM material in non-GM foods. The canola pollen content by dry weight in a range of canola honey samples from diverse geographical areas in Australia was determined to be 0.2 ± 0.12%, well below the 1% threshold. Two GM canola honey samples sourced from Canada contained 0.19 and 0.24% of canola pollen. This work indicates honey derived from GM canola crops will not need to be labelled as a GM food.

scholarly journals Consumer perception and preference towards genetically modified (GM) foods: bibliometric evidence and policy imperatives.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sendhil ◽  
Joan Nyika ◽  
Sheel Yadav ◽  
Joby Mackolil ◽  
Prashat G. Rama Prashat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Food System ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Consumer Perception ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods

Abstract Background: Genetically modified (GM) foods could be a promising option to reduce the dependence of the agri-food system on conventional means of crop improvement. However, the safety of GM food remains a concern, in addition to the perceived and real risks to environment. The opinion about scientific evidence among researchers, policymakers and government regulators on promotion of GM foods for consumers differ. This study presents the trends emerging from research outputs on consumer perception and preference for GM foods and policy prescriptions for enabling the consumption. Scope and Approach: The study mainly focused on (1) exploring the publication trends, geographic focus of research and a comprehensive review on the consumers' perception of and preference to GM foods, (2) identifying research hotspots and emerging genetically modified organisms (GMO) research themes, (3) assessing the integrated nature of GMO research, and (4) suggesting policy prescriptions on challenges and way forward. Bibliometric analyses have been performed using the Web of Science (WOS) database sourcing literature from 1981 to 2021 and analyzed the final sample of 543 publications using BibExcel and VOSviewer visualization software tools. The search strategy utilized the topic basis search of phrases related to GM food preference and perception. Key Findings and Conclusions: The search query retrieving 543 journal articles showed an increasing trend in publications on consumer's response towards GM foods. Thematic analysis revealed a strong interlinkage of GMOs research with 'agriculture' and 'food science technology'. Consumers' positive response is largely influenced by the decision of the governments to ban or approve the GM crops cultivation. Similarly, the public support increases when the potential benefits of the technology are well articulated, consumption increases with a price discount, people's trust on the government and belief in science increases with a positive influence by the media. Mapping of the retrieved articles showed the top four recurrent keywords: GMOs, biotechnology, attitudes and acceptance. Europe and the USA are the first region and country, respectively, in terms of the number of active institutions per research output, per capita GDP publication and citations per article. The National Natural Science Foundation of China, followed by the National University of Malaysia are the top fundraisers for research on GM food consumption, perceptions and attitudes. Although research outputs on GM food consumer's acceptance and preferences are increasing, a majority of publications came from developed nations. Thus, intensive research is yet to be carried out in developing countries to produce a genetically modified food product with superior properties and substantial equivalence with no significant side-effects. We suggest research-, agri-food industries-, and society-oriented policies needed to be implemented by the stakeholders to ensure the safety of GM food products, encourage consumer-based studies, and increase public awareness towards these food products.

scholarly journals Attitude Gaps with Respect to GM Non-Food Crops and GM Food Crops and Confidence in the Government’s Management of Biotechnology: Evidence from Beijing Consumers, Chinese Farmers, Journalists, and Government Officials

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 324
Author(s):  
Changxin Yu ◽  
Haiyan Deng ◽  
Ruifa Hu
Keyword(s):  
Soybean Oil ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Gm Crops ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Soy Meal

Most soybean oil consumed in China is made from imported genetically modified (GM) soybeans, while livestock are fed imported GM soy meal and GM corn. However, no GM food crops are allowed to be planted in China at present. That puts China in a confusing situation where GM foods can be eaten but cannot be grown. Many studies suggest that it is partially due to Chinese consumers’ and government officials’ opposition to GM technology. This is the first study that examines different stakeholders’ and journalists’ attitudes toward the commercialization of GM non-food crops and GM food crops and investigates the attitude gaps with respect to these crops. From 2015 to 2016, surveys were conducted face-to-face and by email with 1730 respondents, including 1460 consumers, 54 farmers, 70 journalists, and 146 agricultural officials. We find that nearly 60% of respondents are supportive of the commercialization of GM non-food crops, but less than 30% of respondents support the commercialization of GM food crops. Around 50% of respondents have no confidence in the government’s management of biotechnology, while only 17% have confidence in the government’s management. Those with lack of confidence in the government’s management are less likely to support the commercialization of GM crops.

‘If labels for GM food were present, would consumers trust them?’ Insights from a consumer survey in Uganda

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 786-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enoch Mutebi Kikulwe ◽  
José Falck-Zepeda ◽  
Justus Wesseler
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Consumer Survey ◽  
Food Labelling ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Government Institutions ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
The Government

AbstractFood labelling is costly. Food labelling is often demanded with the introduction of new food products such as genetically modified (GM) food. If consumers do not have trust in the label, scarce resources are wasted. This paper investigates factors affecting the trust in food labels among Ugandan consumers. The results suggest that older, less-educated individuals of smaller household sizes and with trust in government institutions have more trust in food labels. Other factors were also found to be important. The government has to consider those differences in consumer trust when designing a GM labelling policy.

Opening the vault: The truth behind genetically modified foods

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Elizabeth Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Informed Consent ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Genetically Modified Foods ◽  
North Americans ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Food Market ◽  
The Way

When it comes to experimentation, informed consent must be given. How will North Americans feel when they find out they have been unknowingly participating in the consumption ofgenetically modified (GM) foods? GM foods develop global controversies, and have since their introduction into the international food market. Top stories in the news today cover the concerns of GM products facing the environment and its biodiversity; however, they seem to neglect the health risks for humans. This is because most GM food providers do not want possible health risks to get in the way of profit. Therefore, the vault must be opened: Genetically modified foods need to be avoided because of the detrimental health risks associated with their consumption. The health risks regarding genetically modified foods are extremely important because they can be easily prevented if the globe comes together to promote a natural world. It will undoubtedly be difficult because of the invasion of GMOs that has already taken place, but refusing to purchase GM products, at least until they are proven to be safe, is an ideal place to start.

Conclusion

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Freidberg
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Food Aid ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Critical Media ◽  
The Government

Seven years after Britain’s government in 1996 admitted to the potentially catastrophic human health risks of mad cow disease, fears of the deadly pathogen had faded. Scientists had neither a vaccine nor a cure for nCJD, but in early 2003 they downgraded the projected infection rates; tens of thousands of cases of nCJD now appeared unlikely. The domestic beef market had recovered, and even long-critical media commentators said it was time for beef “to have a revival” (Lawrence 2003a). Whether for reasons of safety, taste or patriotism, market surveys indicated that consumers now preferred British beef to imported meats (Mintel 2003). They also worried rather less about overall food safety. According to the government’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) annual Consumer Attitudes Survey, the percentage of consumers who described themselves as “very” or “quite” concerned about food safety had dropped to 68 percent in 2002 down from 71 percent the year before.1 This is still a lot of concern, but the government nonetheless concluded that it had “made some headway” in its efforts to win back public trust. At the international level, however, longstanding food controversies still simmered and sometimes flared. Zambia, for example, set off a round of transatlantic name-calling in late 2002 when, despite impending famine, it refused to distribute genetically modified (GM) food aid from the United States. The U.S. trade secretary accused the “Luddite” Europeans of forcing Africans to go hungry because the Zambians, like other southern African agro-exporters, feared losing access to the European market if American GM corn contaminated their own crops. European NGOs, meanwhile, condemned the United States for using food aid to establish an African beachhead for the biotech industry (Vidal 2002; Teather 2003). Media analysis of this controversy gave little attention to Zambian citizens’ views of GM food, emphasizing instead the striking rift between American and European perspectives on GM foods and food quality more generally. As in past coverage of the transatlantic GM battle, the explanation was partly cultural (Europeans simply care more about taste than shelf life), partly social psychological. The trauma of recent food scares, in other words, had left Europeans suspicious of “unnatural” foods even if “science” insisted they were safe.

Why Consumers Don't see the Benefits of Genetically Modified Foods, and what Marketers can do about It

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 125-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean T. Hingston ◽  
Theodore J. Noseworthy
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiment ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Food Labeling ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Consumer Panel ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Online Consumer ◽  
Promotion Strategies

Evidence from four studies suggests that the moral opposition toward genetically modified (GM) foods impedes the perception of their benefits, and critically, marketers can circumvent this moral opposition by employing subtle cues to position these products as being “man-made.” Specifically, if consumers view the GM food as man-made, and if they understand why it was created, moral opposition to the product diminishes, and the GM food's perceived benefits increase, which subsequently increases purchase intentions for the product. This effect is replicated in the field (in both controlled and naturalistic settings), in a laboratory experiment, and with an online consumer panel. The results suggest that marketers can help consumers better consider all information when assessing the merits of GM foods by using packaging and promotion strategies to cue consumers to view the GM food for what it is (i.e., a man-made object created with intent). The findings have implications for the recent GM food labeling debate.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document