Label Information Increases Purchase Appeal of GM Foods -Study

Chinese researchers found that increasing the information in labels of genetically modified foods can increase the consumers' willingness to buy them as they will be more informed about the benefits attributed to the GMFs.

The study was conducted to match the consumers' different information processing mechanisms by adding marketing information clues and regulating their purchase intentions by contradictory attitudes towards GMFs. The marketing clue information was divided into two kinds of information: functional and environmental. Functional attributes are human health like more nutrients and better taste, while examples of environmental attributes are the decrease in fertilizer and pesticide use and abiotic stress resistance. The results obtained showed the following:

• Consumers are more inclined to environmental information.
• Functional information is more attractive to males.
• The younger generation prefers ecological information.
• Consumers with high ambivalence towards GM foods are more inclined to choose environmental attribute information.

The researchers concluded that compared with hidden expression of GM ingredients, direct interpretation of additional information for GMs will increase the consumers' willingness to buy them. They emphasized in their study that when consumers are given an additional number of information that is beneficial to the environment of function, they will increase their willingness to choose GM foods.

Read the full study in Sustainability to find out more.