Survey Shows US Consumers Value Taste Over Breeding Method of Table Grapes

Even if U.S. consumers are reluctant to gene-edited foods, they are most concerned about the taste of foods. This is according to a survey conducted by Washington State University published in PLOS One journal.

Over 2,800 U.S. consumers were asked about their acceptance of gene-edited table grapes, even if there is no such product yet on the market.

Results showed that most participants value the taste, followed by the appearance, then how the grapes were developed. They also expressed their preference for using fewer pesticides, which ranked third and was only followed by their little choice for traditionally-bred grapes over gene-edited grapes.

“In general, the biggest thing they cared about is taste, the flavor-related attributes,” said Karina Gallardo, one of the study's authors. “They did state wanting a price reduction for gene editing, but the difference was not statistically significant, which means they were basically indifferent.”

Furthermore, over half of the respondents said they knew the difference between gene editing and genetic engineering but were unable to explain the specific difference between them.

Read more findings from WSU Insider and PLOS One.