A prominent Canadian
public opinion researcher is warning farmers that consumers are
increasingly suspicious of the food they eat and the way it is produced.
David
Herle, principal of the Gandalf Group, told a Canada Grains Council
symposium Nov. 24 that recent research shows consumer resistance to
increased use of food additives, livestock hormones and genetically
modified seeds.
“That we have much higher levels of anxiety is important,” he said. “There is an essential lack of trust.”
Herle said women are more suspicious than men, which is important because women do most of the grocery shopping.
They
are worried that use of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and GM
varieties could be producing products that are harmful to their
families.
