Berlin, Germany
April 16, 2009
Source:
GMO Compass
In 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.
Polls make clear that the majority of European consumers regard
gene technology in agriculture and food products with some
scepticism. In a Eurobarometer poll in 2005, only 27 % of
Europeans expressed a positive attitude towards GM food whereas
significantly less, 21 % were positive to GM food in the 2002
Eurobarometer. In individual Member States, however, attitudes
towards GM food are markedly varied. For example, 46 % of
consumers in the Czech Republic approved of GM foods. With 38 %
and 34 % respectively, such approval is also comparatively high
in Portugal and Spain. In contrast only 14 % of Greeks and 13 %
of Luxembourgers, for example, commend this technology.
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.
Biotechnology and gene technology on the rise
A clear trend emerging from the surveys is that in recent years,
general scepticism towards gene technology is on the decrease.
Every year since 1999, more people have answered "yes" to the
question of "whether bio- and gene technology will influence
one’s own life in a positive manner in the next 20 years". In
2005, 50 % of respondents regarded biotechnology as positive and
about 30 % of respondents saw gene technology as good. As late
as 1999, only 10 % of respondents had assumed a positive
contribution of gene technology to their lives.
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.
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Change in the level of optimism towards
biotechnology and genetic engineering among European
consumers (Eurobarometer 1999-2005) |
Gene
technology with clear applications is supported far more
strongly
According to polls, approval has been rising in recent years and
overall approval increases significantly when consumers are
asked to assess specific qualities of GM plants. In 2005, 51 %
of European customers polled declared that they would purchase
GM foods if these foods contained less pesticide than do
conventional products. If the manufacture of GM foods were
environmentally friendlier, 49 % of respondents would purchase
the products in question. Forty-three per cent of respondents
expressed disapproval. As late as 2002, the readiness to
purchase such products was 10 percentage points lower in each
case.
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:
More than half (52 %) of British consumers regard this
technology as instrument against increasing global food
shortages. While only 13 % of respondents expressed disagreement
with this idea.
Nearly half (47 %) of respondents regard GM crops to be a
solution for increasingly extreme weather conditions and for
combating plant diseases. While only 12 % of those polled did
not share this opinion.
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Percentage of people likely to buy GMOs according to
given qualities (Eurobarometer, 2002 and 2005) |
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:
-
there
is still a very big demand for information on GMOs with only
a small portion of the population today having already
formed a definite opinion about it,
-
more
than 40 % of consumers surveyed who had already formed a
‘decided’ opinion on GM products, spoke positively of them,
-
acceptance of the new technology has increased steadily
since 1999,
-
GM
products having significant environmental or consumer
benefits were rated positive by more than half the consumers
and would be bought,
-
around
80% of consumers tested do not actively avoid GM products
when shopping,
-
in
actual shopping scenarios, low-priced GM products even
reached dominant market share.
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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