Attitude Gaps with Respect to GM Non-Food Crops and GM Food Crops and Confidence in the Government’s Management of Biotechnology: Evidence from Beijing Consumers, Chinese Farmers, Journalists, and Government Officials

Abstract

Most soybean oil consumed in China is made from imported genetically modified (GM) soybeans, while livestock are fed imported GM soy meal and GM corn. However, no GM food crops are allowed to be planted in China at present. That puts China in a confusing situation where GM foods can be eaten but cannot be grown. Many studies suggest that it is partially due to Chinese consumers’ and government officials’ opposition to GM technology. This is the first study that examines different stakeholders’ and journalists’ attitudes toward the commercialization of GM non-food crops and GM food crops and investigates the attitude gaps with respect to these crops. From 2015 to 2016, surveys were conducted face-to-face and by email with 1730 respondents, including 1460 consumers, 54 farmers, 70 journalists, and 146 agricultural officials. We find that nearly 60% of respondents are supportive of the commercialization of GM non-food crops, but less than 30% of respondents support the commercialization of GM food crops. Around 50% of respondents have no confidence in the government’s management of biotechnology, while only 17% have confidence in the government’s management. Those with lack of confidence in the government’s management are less likely to support the commercialization of GM crops.

Consumer perception, mandatory labeling, and traceability of GM soybean oil: evidence from Chinese urban consumers

“…Numerous studies have indicated that confidence in the government management of biotechnology plays a critical role in the attitudes toward GM foods and commercialization of GM crops. 7 For example, Zhao et al 40 indicated that confidence in the government management of GM food labeling significantly influenced Chinese consumers’ attitudes toward labeled GM products. However, our results show more than four fifths of consumers have no confidence in the government management of biotechnology.…”

“…This method has been widely employed in agricultural economics, such as Yu et al (2020). 7 To minimize the bias of desirability bias, before filling out the questionnaire, the respondents were promised with the anonymity of the investigation and they were asked to complete the survey solely based on their own experiences. Moreover, the self-administered survey for data collection helps minimize the leading question bias and wording bias.…”

“… 3 Worldwide, there are also growing concerns with GM foods, particularly among many civil society groups. 4 – 7 Luck et al reported that about 45% of American consumers have a safety concern with GM foods, of which over 80% are supportive of implementing the mandatory labeling policy on GM products. 8 The mandatory labeling is considered an effective method to address the issue of asymmetric information.…”

Willingness to Pay for Enhanced Mandatory Labelling of Genetically Modified Soybean Oil: Evidence from a Choice Experiment in China

“…As a fast developing country, China is the largest consumer and importer of genetically modified (GM) soybean [ 1 ]. The import of soybeans to China reached more than 95 million tons in 2017, which were used as processing materials [ 2 ]. Chinese consumers oppose GM foods due to their concerns about food safety [ 3 ].…”

Employing CRISPR/Cas Technology for the Improvement of Potato and Other Tuber Crops

“…Genome editing provides agriculture productivity for the world population, which has reached 7.8 billion and is estimated to exceed 10 billion by 2055 ( FAO, 2017 ; Li and Yan, 2020 ). Up until 2018, GE crops have been planted approximately 191.7 million acres throughout 26 countries and adopted by approximately 17 million farmers ( Yu et al, 2019 ; Przezbórska-Skobiej and Siemiński, 2020 ). The legal status between genetically modified organisms (GMO) and genome-edited products is still in discussion.…”