Consumer perception and preference towards genetically modified (GM) foods: bibliometric evidence and policy imperatives.

Abstract

Background: Genetically modified (GM) foods could be a promising option to reduce the dependence of the agri-food system on conventional means of crop improvement. However, the safety of GM food remains a concern, in addition to the perceived and real risks to environment. The opinion about scientific evidence among researchers, policymakers and government regulators on promotion of GM foods for consumers differ. This study presents the trends emerging from research outputs on consumer perception and preference for GM foods and policy prescriptions for enabling the consumption. Scope and Approach: The study mainly focused on (1) exploring the publication trends, geographic focus of research and a comprehensive review on the consumers' perception of and preference to GM foods, (2) identifying research hotspots and emerging genetically modified organisms (GMO) research themes, (3) assessing the integrated nature of GMO research, and (4) suggesting policy prescriptions on challenges and way forward. Bibliometric analyses have been performed using the Web of Science (WOS) database sourcing literature from 1981 to 2021 and analyzed the final sample of 543 publications using BibExcel and VOSviewer visualization software tools. The search strategy utilized the topic basis search of phrases related to GM food preference and perception. Key Findings and Conclusions: The search query retrieving 543 journal articles showed an increasing trend in publications on consumer's response towards GM foods. Thematic analysis revealed a strong interlinkage of GMOs research with 'agriculture' and 'food science technology'. Consumers' positive response is largely influenced by the decision of the governments to ban or approve the GM crops cultivation. Similarly, the public support increases when the potential benefits of the technology are well articulated, consumption increases with a price discount, people's trust on the government and belief in science increases with a positive influence by the media. Mapping of the retrieved articles showed the top four recurrent keywords: GMOs, biotechnology, attitudes and acceptance. Europe and the USA are the first region and country, respectively, in terms of the number of active institutions per research output, per capita GDP publication and citations per article. The National Natural Science Foundation of China, followed by the National University of Malaysia are the top fundraisers for research on GM food consumption, perceptions and attitudes. Although research outputs on GM food consumer's acceptance and preferences are increasing, a majority of publications came from developed nations. Thus, intensive research is yet to be carried out in developing countries to produce a genetically modified food product with superior properties and substantial equivalence with no significant side-effects. We suggest research-, agri-food industries-, and society-oriented policies needed to be implemented by the stakeholders to ensure the safety of GM food products, encourage consumer-based studies, and increase public awareness towards these food products.

Environmental benefits of circular food systems: The case of upcycled protein recovered using genome edited potato

“…On the international market, genome edited crops have avoided much of the negative controversy related to GM organisms, ultimately since the two techniques are fundamentally different. Although a negative consumer attitude has previously hindered further commercialization, research has observed an increasingly positive consumer attitude towards novel GE food crops (Ramadas et al, 2021). In 2021, European Commission concluded that current legislation for GE food crops is not fit for its purpose, and a modernized policy is currently under discussion (Pixley et al, 2022;European Commission, 2021b).…”

Perspective Chapter: GMO Foods and Our Health

“…This increase in population has created a demand for a 70% increase in food production by that time to be able to feed such a large population [1]. Through technological advancements in the GMO field, genetic engineering (GE), and improving crops resistant to infection, viruses, herbicides, and environmental stressors, rates of the most common genetically modified organism (GMO) foods produced have steadily increased by 1.2% annually, but is not at the estimated 2.4% annual increase needed to meet the food demands by 2050 [1,2].…”

“…Over the last 20 years, technological advances in Genetically modified organisms have not only improved, but now dominate most processes of how crops, seeds, and plant products impact food production. There will be roughly 11 billion people on the plants by the end of the century, thus projections for the future provide a snapshot of the food production needs/deficit facing the world and the importance of GE foods to achieve food security by then [2]. The premise that the increased crop production will help feed more people in the world and combat food shortages is part of the justification for integrating GMO crops along with increased profits and less impact on the environment.…”

Consumption of Genetically Modified Food Products and Its Determinants (Case Study: Edible Oil in Mashhad)

“…Norwegian women are more skeptical of GM crops than men, and older people need more discounts to buy GM products, which means that older consumers are less receptive to GM products than younger people [24], and public trust in government and belief in science is increased by positive media influence and increases in public support [25]. Moreover, in order to improve the effectiveness of food policies, policymakers should invest in advertising labels and target the elderly and people with a lower education levels [26].…”