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USA - AMERICANS WOULD ACCEPT GM WHEAT
Source: www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Survey-suggests-most-Americans-would-accept-sustainable-GM-wheat
Survey suggests most Americans would accept 'sustainable' GM wheat
03-Jun-2010
According to a survey undertaken by the International Food and Information Council (IFIC), many US consumers would be receptive to foods containing GM wheat if it is produced sustainably.
The survey of 750 US citizens aimed to gauge current attitudes toward the newest food technologies. Some of the key findings include:
- Eighty per cent of survey respondents said they would be likely to purchase bread, crackers, cookies, cereal, or pasta products containing GM wheat "if they were produced using sustainable practices to feed more people using fewer resources such as land and pesticides." And consistent with a 2008 (IFIC) survey, 77 per cent of respondents said they would buy foods produced through biotechnology if they helped cut pesticide use.
- Half of consumers said they had heard or read at least "a little" about the concept of sustainability in food production, an increase from 2008, when that figure was at 41 per cent. In 2007, only 30 per cent said they had heard or read anything about sustainability in food production.
- Of those who said they were unfavorable or neutral toward animal biotechnology, 55 per cent said the reason was that they didn't have enough information about the subject, while 39 per cent said they didn't understand the benefits of using biotechnology with animals.
As for GM wheat, prominent North American wheat industry organizations, including the National Wheat Growers Association, US Wheat Associates, the North American Millers’ Association and the Independent Bakers Association, have said that there is a competitiveness problem for the wheat industry. They claim that the differential between net returns for wheat and other crops is growing and production will continue to decline unless biotechnology is used to improve wheat's competitiveness.
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