A year or so ago, biotech crop promoters were taking heart in what appeared to be gathering acceptance of genetically modified crops.
While Europe still blocked most GM products, important importers in Asia and South America seemed to be following the North American example of acceptance.
But the tide might be shifting.
In June, China imposed rules on imports of GM crops. Beijing says the rules are not designed to stop GM imports, and in fact the government supports the technology.
But confusion over implementation has put Chinese buyers off of North American oilseeds this summer, importing instead non-GM South American soybeans.
Read Also
One Beer Market Updates Day 3 – Lentils and beef
Day 3 of the One Beer Market Update at Ag in Motion 2025.
South Korean buyers say they are avoiding American corn because consumers don’t want it, especially after last year’s StarLink mess where a GM variety not approved for human consumption in the United States found its way into the human food chain.
Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporter, is bringing in strict laws on labelling and traceability.
Sri Lanka is also bringing in restrictive GM laws.
And the situation might be changing in North America.
A media sponsored Ipsos-Reid poll in August showed 63 percent of Canadians surveyed said they would be less likely to buy a food product that is genetically modified or contains genetically modified ingredients.
In the U.S., an ABC poll in June found 52 percent saying GM food is “not safe to eat” and only 35 percent expressing total confidence. This was a change from the year before when another poll found about half seeing no health hazard.
There is also a movement in many countries to label GM food.
Biotech proponents had been against this, saying that if the regulatory system had approved the safety of the crops, then there was no reason to identify the process under which they had been created.
But increasingly, governments are following demands that the public has a right to know what it is eating. Consumer reaction to these labels will set the direction of the GM debate.
Will people who have regularly bought food labelled as containing digliycerides, maltodextrin and other unpronounceable chemicals stop buying them because they contain GM canola or corn?
I expect that even those who tell pollsters they are against GM food will continue to buy their favourite brands whether they are GM stamped or not.
