Biotech Updates

55% of Italians Favor GM research, 52% Willing to Buy GM Foods

December 19, 2012

According to a survey conducted by the Milan-based Institute for Studies on Public Opinion (ISPO) in Italy, 55% of Italians opine that the continuation of GM research in their country is useful while 52% of the respondents said that they are willing to buy foods with genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the future.

The said research institute added that 52% of Italians would consider buying GM food under certain conditions. The main driver concerns the potential health benefits of GMOs (48%), followed by its enhanced environmental sustainability (37%) and its lower price compared to its counterpart (27% ). One quarter of the population, on the other hand, would not buy GMOs under any conditions.

Moreover, most of the population (52%) agrees that if it is legal to sell GMO products, it should also be legal to grow them. To 56% of the respondents, it is unfair to allow foreign growers to cultivate GMO crops and then sell them in Italy while Italian farmers are prohibited from doing the same.

For more information, visit http://www.futuragra.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=247&Itemid=115.