Study Defines Important Aspects in Communicating about Genome Editing in Europe

Euroseeds and partners released the results of their study that assessed the communication activities and needs of European stakeholders involved in plant breeding innovation. The findings are published in the journal Food and Energy Security.

According to the study, a high level of trust is given by the stakeholders to representatives from academia. Across the different stakeholder groups, there is a high regard for topics such as safety, transparency, and sustainability. Furthermore, it was found that social media seem to play a subordinate role in interstakeholder communication but are vital for public outreach.

Based on the findings, the following recommendations on communicating about plant genome editing were presented:

• Include common societal goals in the narratives;
• Engage with education providers and academia;
• Reach out via professional magazines and activities;
• Frequently updated website with latest information; and
• Use social media rather to raise awareness,

Find out more in Food and Energy Security.