As food prices soar and
the need to feed more people with fewer resources
becomes increasingly challenging, new
International Food
Information Council (IFIC) research shows more and
more people are thinking about the concept of
sustainable food production and its role in feeding the
world. According to
IFIC’s 2008 Food Biotechnology survey, awareness of
sustainable food production jumped 11 percent from 2007
to 2008 (from 30 to 41 percent). Consumers rated
“growing more food to help feed the growing global
population” as the most important factor for growing
crops in a sustainable manner.
“Clearly, global food
issues are on consumer’s minds,” said IFIC Senior Vice
President, Danielle Schor. “This year’s survey shows
feeding the global population is a high priority and
people are thinking of long lasting solutions.”
This year marks the 13th
annual IFIC Food Biotechnology survey and the second
year it included questions about “sustainability.” When
asked to rank 5 factors related to
growing crops in a sustainable way, the factor
ranked number one was “increasing the production of food
staples in the world, thereby reducing world hunger,”
with “reducing the amount of pesticides needed to
produce food” coming in second.
Other areas in this
national survey
included:
Plant
Biotechnology
Overall favorable
impression of plant biotechnology remained little
changed from past years, with 84 percent of consumers
having favorable or neutral impressions of using
biotechnology with plants. The majority of Americans
would be likely to purchase foods from plants produced
through biotechnology for specific benefits.
Approximately three-fourths of consumers would be
very or somewhat likely to buy a food product made with
oils that had been modified by biotechnology to avoid
trans fats or to provide more healthful fats, such as
Omega-3 fatty acids.
Animal
Biotechnology
Following last year’s
announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) that
meat and milk from cloned animals are safe, nearly
half of Americans (48 percent) said they were “somewhat”
or “very” likely to buy these products—similar to the
result of 46 percent in 2007. When asked how likely
they would be to buy meat and milk from genetically
engineered animals if the FDA determined they were safe,
65 percent said they would be likely to purchase these
products, with the percentage of those “very likely”
having increased significantly from 2006 (12 percent) to
2008 (17 percent). The survey was carried out prior to
FDA’s release last month of proposed guidelines on how
to regulate genetically engineered animals.
Potential positive impacts
of animal biotechnology continue to correlate with
increased support among consumers. Almost two-thirds of
consumers (62 percent) said they had a positive
impression of animal biotechnology when informed that
“animal biotechnology can improve the quality and safety
of food.” More than half (52 percent) reacted
positively to the statement “animal biotechnology can
reduce the environmental impact of animal waste.”
Confidence in U.S.
Food Supply
Despite continuing media
attention and focus on food concerns, consumers’ overall
confidence in the U.S. food supply remains high.
Sixty-eight percent of Americans indicated they were
“very” or “somewhat” confident in the food supply
compared to 69 percent last year. Of those who listed
a specific food safety concern, disease and
contamination topped the list at 50 percent, a
significant increase since 2007 (38 percent). Food
safety issues having the lowest concern were
biotechnology and processed foods, with 1 percent each.
Labeling
Satisfaction with current
information on food labels remained high in 2008. Only
14 percent of consumers mentioned information they felt
was missing, with less than 1 percent specifically
mentioning biotechnology.
FDA requires special
labeling only when the use of biotechnology introduces
an allergen, or when it substantially changes the food’s
nutritional content. A solid majority of those polled
(60 percent) “strongly” or “somewhat” support the FDA
labeling requirements for food produced using
biotechnology.
Summary from the
Asian Food Biotechnology Consumer Attitudes Survey
The U.S. results can be
compared with those of a similar survey released earlier
this month by the
Asian Food Information Centre (www.afic.org).
The survey commissioned by AFIC in five Asian
countries—China, India, Japan, Philippines, and South
Korea—shows that crops produced through biotechnology do
not generate a high level of concern. In addition,
although most Asian consumers are not familiar with the
concept of “sustainable food production,” once the
concept is explained, a majority believe sustainable
food production is important and accept plant
biotechnology if the technology contributes to a more
sustainable way of producing foods.
Asian consumers are also ready to accept nutritional
benefits from biotechnology-derived foods. However,
specific benefits are linked to the dietary habits in
each country.
Methodology
IFIC commissioned Cogent
Research of Cambridge, MA, to conduct the 13th in a
series (1997-2008) of quantitative assessments of U.S.
adult consumer attitudes toward food biotechnology from
July 29 to August 18, 2008. The survey had a sample
size of 1,000 and the data were weighted on age and
education to be nationally representative.
For additional information
on the
food biotechnology survey, or to schedule an
interview with an expert please call the IFIC Media Team
at 202-296-6540.
The International Food Information
Council's (IFIC's) mission is to effectively communicate
science-based information on food safety and nutrition
to health and nutrition professionals, educators,
journalists, government officials and others providing
information to consumers. IFIC is supported primarily by
the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural
industries.
