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Oct 14, 2013 | | | 7:09 pm |
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An overview of European consumer polls on attitudes to GMOsIn the field and on the plate, gene technology is seen as controversial, particularly in Europe. The European Commission, as well as national institutes and agencies, regularly conduct polls in order to assay the general tendencies of consumers. This overview attempts to capture this plethora of opinion representation and identify common trends and indicators. The majority of consumers regard gene technology with hesitation, but approval has grown continuously in the Eurobarometer polls in recent years. Approximately one half of consumers are able to accept gene technology, particularly when benefits for consumers and for the environment can be linked to GMO products. In 2007, 80 % of respondents did not cite the application of GMOs in agriculture as a significant environmental problem. Many consumers seem unafraid of health risks from GMO products: according to polls, most European consumers do not actively avoid GMO products while shopping.
Furthermore, it’s evident that accurate information on GMOs is key to raising consumer acceptance. The Eurobarometer poll in 2005 shows that 42 % of the section of the European public that is clearly "decided" on key questions regarding GM food (49 % of the total sample) supports GM food. Additionally, 44 % of the respondents declared that they would definitely/probably buy GM food, if it were approved by the relevant authorities. Still high information demand of consumers National and European polls indicate that many European consumers apparently have yet to form an ultimate opinion on the topic. According to the Eurobarometer poll in 2007 the "use of genetically modified organisms in Farming" is the second most common topic for which European consumers cite a clear deficit of information (34 % of respondents). In some countries, the demand for information is even significantly higher: for example, 58 % of Finns and 55 % of Cypriots want more information on the topic. In a survey by the British Institute of Grocery Distribution in 2008, the majority (58 %) of respondents declared neutrality or the lack of an opinion with regard to GM food. Based on their own assessments, most UK consumers have only a limited understanding of GM foods. Forty-eight per cent of the polled consumers believed their knowledge on the subject of GM foods to be limited.
In the most recent Eurobarometer (poll results from 2007), European consumers were asked to identify the environmental themes about which they were most concerned. On average, 20 % of respondents cited the topic of "GMOs in farming". In comparison to results from the year 2005, this represents a decrease of 4 percentage points. By contrast, most respondents considered the themes "climate change" (57 %), "water pollution" (42 %) and "air pollution" (40 %) as most important. Similar trends were noted in a poll by the British Food Standard Agency at the end of 2008. "Concerns about GM foods" were identified as an area for concern by 26 % of respondents. However, the same question surveyed since 2001 demonstrates that concerns about GM foods have consistently declined: In 2007 about 30 % had concerns, in 2004 about 35 % and in 2001, this was about 40 %. Topics such as salt, fat and sugar in food products (50 %, 40 % and 39 % of respondents, respectively) were regarded as more important.
Another trend also is recognisable in the latest polls by the Institute of Grocery Distribution in the UK. GM technologies are seen as an important tool towards mitigation of increasing global food shortages and of responding to food production challenges posed by climate change:
Purchasing habits: probably not as expected There are many examples indicating that consumers’ responses in polls (based on hypothrtical situations and choices) often differ to actual behaviour. In contrast to the hypothetical polls for or against GM products, the actual behaviour of consumers while shopping is a more important indicator of the manner in which individuals approach the new technology in an everyday context. In the European Commission funded research project "Consumerchoice", polls were conducted on this topic in 2006 and 2007. In countries in which GM products were available in shops at the time of the polls (the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain), only 20 % of buyers actively avoided such products. The authors of the study therefore regard it as likely that in many European countries GM products would be bought if they were offered for sale. Similar results were obtained in a poll by the Institute of Grocery Distribution in the UK in 2008. More than half (53 %) of respondents claimed not to think about GM when shopping. Only 21 % claimed to check food labels to ensure that food was non-GM. Even more impressive are the results of a study made in 2007 (University of Otago Marketing Commerce, New Zealand). Tests were carried out in actual market settings in five European countries. In each case, a roadside stall was set up with fruit labelled three different ways (organic, conventional, or spray-free GM) and sold at different price levels. A total of 2,736 customers visited the fruit stalls. Under the pricing scenario researchers considered most plausible (15 % premium paid for organic and a 15 % discount for the spray-free GM option), the GM option gained the dominant market share in the Swedish and German stalls, and reached 30 % or more in the UK and French stalls. The results of the study indicate once again that GM food may prove much more acceptable than has been previously widely stated, provided there is a clear indication of consumer benefits. Conclusions: Surveys show that while European consumers today may still have reservations about GM products, this should not be considered as a blanket refusal for such products. On a whole, surveys and shopping trials have shown just the opposite, namely that:
These results show that GM foods, contrary to widespread opinion, may have considerable chances on the European market. Former EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, who left the post in 2008, describes the current situation as follows: "Public fears may be misplaced, but they cannot and should not be dismissed. We ...need to do a better job of setting out the issues so that people are aware of the potential benefits of GM food ...".
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