Biotech Food Distrust Linked to Messaging Gaps

Michigan State University (MSU) Professor Vincenzina Caputo found that consumer distrust still persists in foods developed through genetic engineering and gene editing technologies. Caputo said that the distrust is influenced by how information is communicated to consumers.

Caputo noted that consumer acceptance of food technologies increases when benefits, such as improved nutrition or environmental sustainability, are communicated. Previous study examined how different communication tools, including labels, text, and QR codes, influence consumer behavior. The findings revealed that consumers rarely engage with QR codes. Caputo's research also found that consumers generally prefer gene-edited foods over bioengineered ones, but foods labeled as “organic” and “non-GMO” remained the most favored.

“Communication should not only be upstream and downstream, but it should also be midstream between all the different actors involved in the food supply chain — between farmers and retailers, retailers and policymakers, farmers and food companies, and so on,” Caputo said. The research team will further examine public trust in agri-food biotechnologies and will publicly share the data to help stakeholders refine communication strategies.

For more information, read the article from MSU.