Marketing Experts Study Why Consumers Don't See the Benefits of GM Foods

Marketing experts Sean Hingston and Theodore Noseworthy from York University answered why consumers don't appreciate the benefits of GM foods and suggested some marketing strategies for GM foods based on field studies. Their article is published in the Journal of Marketing.

According to the authors, studies have shown that moral opposition towards GM foods blocks the perception of their benefits. This opposition can be overcome by employing subtle cues to position these products as being manmade. If consumers view GM food as developed by men to be beneficial, then it would be easier to understand why it was developed while moral opposition to the product diminishes. This is expected to lead to increased purchase intentions for the product. This effect is replicated in the field (in both controlled and naturalistic setups), in a laboratory experiment, and with an online consumer panel. The results suggest the use of packaging and promotion strategies that help the consumers to view GM food for what it is (i.e., a manmade product developed with intent).

Read the article in the Journal of Marketing for more information.