Here’s a true or false question that stumps most Canadians: While genetically modified tomatoes contain genes, ordinary tomatoes do not.
Two out of three Canadians do not know the statement is false, said pollster Angus McAllister of Environics International Inc.
McAllister used the question to illustrate where many Canadians are coming from in the debate and fear over genetically modified food.
“In a free market, the consumer is never wrong,” McAllister told last week’s GrainWorld conference. “The consumer is king.”
Consumers’ perceptions are their reality, said McAllister.
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In July 1999, an Environics survey showed 51 percent of Canadians had never had a discussion about biotechnology and food.
But an updated survey done last month now shows 72 percent of Canadians have discussed the issue at least once or twice.
McAllister said Canadians are paying attention and looking for information on GM food. Many people are uncomfortable with the issue.
“We actually believe this issue is going to get hotter before it cools down,” McAllister said.
Older female baby boomers will be least sympathetic to GM food. They are most likely to see genes as additives, he said.
But younger generation-X Canadians will be most sympathetic, seeing GM food as the newest high-tech job opportunity.
Consumers want a choice in whether they eat GM food, he said.
When Environics asked Canadians whether they had eaten any GM food in the past year, only one in three knew they had, even though 60 to 70 percent of food products contain GM ingredients.
“There’s a gap that needs to be closed,” said McAllister. “They don’t realize that it’s on their plates right now.”
Recently, Environics talked to 50 focus groups in 10 countries about GM food. It found consumers perceive GM food with labels as showing manufacturers stand behind their products and have nothing to hide.
“If you believe in it, I don’t see why consumers won’t,” he said.
Consumers also want to know how GM food benefits them directly.
He noted 70 percent of consumers are keen on seeing pesticide use reduced, but added GM advocates are not doing a good job explaining that GM crops reduce pesticide use.
His firm predicts environmentalism will become a global concern again in the next three years.
“It’s a very, very powerful trend.”
McAllister also noted North Americans no longer trust authorities and like to find their own sources of information. He warned the audience not to expect a rational discussion of GM food, based solely on the facts.
“Food is fundamentally about emotion.”
