Consumer Attitudes on GM Foods in Taiwan

In Taiwan, the attitude of consumers toward GM foods is mainly determined by the consumer’s benefit perception, said researchers in Tatung University. The researchers, Mei-Fang Chen and Hsiao-Lan Li, recommend that consumer education will help a lot in making the consumers in Taiwan form a more positive general attitude toward science and technology.

Chen and Li have determined that the general attitude toward and trust in institutes and scientists performing gene manipulation have positive impacts on the perceived benefits. In contrast, knowledge has negative impacts on the perceived risks of applying gene technology to produce food products.

The researchers tested their hypotheses using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, a popular method used in social sciences literature. The study of Chen and Li analyzed responses from 564 individuals located in four regions in Taiwan.

The paper published by the Food Quality and Preference journal can be accessed by subscribers at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2006.10.002.