Biotechnology and the European public

Gene therapy and the public: a matter of trust

“…At the same time, lack of information about genetic engineering does not simply translate as rejection of it. 5 A similar picture emerges from US surveys, which show that the general attitudes toward biotechnology remain positive. Again, it is not so much the level of knowledge and scientific literacy which seems to determine attitudes toward biotechnology, but considerations of moral acceptability.…”

The big bug: The legitimation of the edible insect sector in the Netherlands

“…The public has become more involved in governance issues (Bingham et al, 2005;Bryson et al, 2014), and food safety and sustainability must be rigorously studied, measured, and standardized in cooperation with researchers, government, and civil society organizations (Fuchs et al, 2011). Transparency, accountability, and collaborative research could also serve to avoid "social amplification processes" that hindered the introduction of GM foods (Gaskell et al, 2000;Henson, 1995;Siegrist, 2008).…”

The Croonian Lecture 2004 Risk: food, fact and fantasy

“…Risks that are unknown and potentially catastrophic should be given more weight than the simple statistics suggest, especially when there is no identified benefit; and benefit is an important part of the equation of public perception of risk. For instance, the public response to the use of genetic modification in medicines is very different to that for food (Gaskell et al 2000;Gaskell & Bauer 2001;Poortinga & Pidgeon 2003), probably because the medicines bring benefits while, at least for the moment, the foods do not.…”