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According to the the University of Gävle researchers, as the demand for eco-friendly food — produced without pesticides and environmentally harmful chemicals — increases, the need to develop genetically modified (GM) organisms that are more resistant to parasites and other environmental crop threats may increase. “Because of this, products labelled both ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘genetically modified’ could become commonly available on the market,” they write.
Patrik Sörqvist, . . . lead author of the study told FoodNavigator he believed the concepts of genetic modification and sustainability could be reconciled. “The way I see it, environmentally friendly production, that is, less pesticides in the production process, for example, may well require biotechnology to improve the crop’s parasite resistance, . . .”
But there are others who see the two as mutually incompatible. Alexander Hissting, managing director of Ohne Gentechnik, an association which represents food manufacturers and retailers and advocates food production without the use of GMOs, said: “GM can definitely not [be seen as an eco-friendly choice] from my perspective, not from the perspective of the 320 companies we represent . . . .”
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To test consumer acceptability, researchers showed Swedish and British consumers packets of raisins that were labelled as bearing either a GM label; an eco-friendly one; both together or none at all, and measured the impact on taste, health perception, environmental concern and willingness to pay.
They found that the raisins with both GM and eco-friendly labels were rated almost level with the non-labelled alternatives, suggesting the association with GM removes the psychological benefits of the eco-label. This effect was larger for the Swedes than the British respondents.
Read full, original post: Could consumers see GM as an eco-friendly food choice?
