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Survey: Consumers support biotechnologyThe International Food Information Council 2010 "Consumer Perceptions of Food Technology" survey found that consumers support the use of food biotechnology when they consider its potential benefits for reducing the impact of food and food production on the environment, and for improving sustainability. Results of the 14th IFIC Food Technology Consumer Survey were released June 2. The survey explores U.S. consumers' perceptions of various aspects of plant and animal biotechnology, as well as sustainability and new and emerging technologies such as nanotechnology. This year, consumers responded most positively to benefits of biotechnology for the environment and sustainability. For example, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of consumers would be likely to purchase foods produced through biotechnology for their ability to reduce pesticide use (consistent from 2008), and 80 percent of consumers said they would be likely to purchase bread, crackers, cookies, cereal, or pasta products containing wheat that was grown using plant biotechnology if they were produced using sustainable practices to feed more people using fewer resources such as land and pesticides (new question in 2010). While products containing wheat grown using biotechnology are still up to a decade away from being commercially available, these data indicate a receptive audience to such products if they are produced through sustainable practices. "These results suggest that the importance of the impact of food production on the environment is here to stay for consumers," said Marianne Smith Edge, IFIC's interim vice president, Nutrition and Food Safety. "Over the last several years we've seen the overall awareness of sustainability and environmental issues continue to grow." Half of consumers (50 percent) have heard or read at least "a little" about the concept of sustainability in food production. This is a significant increase from 2008, when about four in ten (41 percent) knew something about the topic. In 2007, only three in ten (30 percent) were aware of the concept. With the increased focus by Americans on reducing environmental impact, we see that those aspects of sustainable crop production benefiting the environment resonate most with consumers. When asked to rank aspects of sustainable crop production (from a list of options) in order of importance, consumers' top three are: --"Growing more food on less land so valuable land like rain forests is not destroyed/used as growing space for increased food production." (69 percent) --"Reducing the amount of pesticides needed to produce food." (65 percent) --"Plants that use water more efficiently, thereby conserving fresh water to help cope with predicted droughts and water shortages." (62 percent) In other survey findings, about seven in ten Americans (69 percent) say they have heard or read at least "a little" about biotechnology, steady from previous years. Significantly more consumers believe there are foods produced through biotechnology in the supermarket now (28 percent) compared with 2008 (23 percent), although these consumers are still the minority. The majority of consumers are somewhat or very likely to purchase a variety of produce, such as tomatoes or potatoes, modified by biotechnology to provide more healthful fats like Omega-3s (76 percent); to avoid trans fat (74 percent); or to make them taste better/fresher (67 percent). Impressions of Plant Biotechnology: About one-third (32 percent) are somewhat or very favorable toward plant biotechnology, with about two in ten (19 percent) somewhat or very unfavorable and about three in ten (29 percent) neither favorable nor unfavorable. Impressions of Animal Biotechnology: About three in ten (29 percent) Americans are somewhat or very favorable toward animal biotechnology, while slightly more than one-quarter (27 percent) are somewhat or very unfavorable, and about one-quarter (24 percent) are neither favorable nor unfavorable. Interestingly, the majority of consumers who are either unfavorable or neutral in their views toward animal biotechnology cited "I don't have enough information" about animal biotechnology (55 percent) and/or "I don't understand the benefits of using biotechnology with animals" (39 percent) as their reason(s) for being unfavorable or neutral. For more findings from the IFIC 2010 Food Technology Consumer Survey, visit the International Food Information Council Foundation website: www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Consumer_Insights_Regarding_Food_Biotechnology.
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