Consumer opinions, perspectives and views on food and its production do not necessarily reflect what is occurring. For instance, we know from risk assessment and production data that there is no difference in the safety or nutritional value of food products, regardless of the method used to produce the product.
[Survey] respondents, however, strongly believed that organic and non-GM foods are safe, have higher nutrition and would not have long-term health effects. Whereas in the responses to biotech foods only one-quarter felt they were safe and nutritious, and 54% felt there were long-term health concerns, when in fact these foods are equal in all these aspects to similar foods from organic and conventional production.
Another factor that was not well understood was concerning the sustainability of biotech food production. Biotech food production has significantly reduced the need for soil tillage, a common requirement for organic agriculture and respondents also felt that biotech crops were less likely to improve soil quality, while biotech crops are the leading reason for improved soil quality.
Related on the SLP
Clearly, as an industry, we need to make more inroads to helping offer this information clearly and without bias.
