Consumer Attitudes Toward Biotech Foods in China

Abstract

Based on a large-scale survey in 11 cities, this study employs probit and logit models to estimate the effects of various explanatory variables on the likelihood of biotech food acceptance in China. Analyses focus on biotech soybean oil, input-and output-trait biotech rice, and livestock products fed with biotech corn.

Market Potential of Folate Biofortified Rice in China

“…In line with the study about FBR acceptance (see section 1.3.1.1), WTP for a GM product is expected to be influenced by GM food knowledge, consumer perceptions, and socio-demographic indicators (Bredahl et al, 1998;Verdurme et al, 2003b;House et al, 2004;Ajzen, 2005;Han and Harrison, 2006;Lin et al, 2006;Costa-Font et al, 2008;De Groote and Kimenju, 2008), although research regarding the effect of the latter is inconclusive (Lusk et al, 2001a;Umberger and Feuz, 2004). The importance of these determinants are investigated for the stated WTP, which is based on the survey that is used to explain FBR acceptance (see section 3.2.2).…”

“…This thesis one of the first to conduct consumer research about a 'consumer-friendly' GM food crop in a high-risk region where the need of exploiting its benefits is the highest. When reviewing Chinese consumer studies on GM food, whether the objective is to analyze acceptance (Lin et al, 2004;Ho et al, 2006;Huang et al, 2006b), conduct a segmentation study Zhang et al, 2010) or to investigate the WTP for GM food and rice Liu, 2009), or when experimental auctions are applied (Kachelmeier and Shehata, 1992;Wang and McCluskey, 2010), the focus is solely on urban China, which further supports the selected research location.…”

“…The United States is one of few developed countries to feel positively about the technology, however, the positive orientation toward GM food is more common among developing countries (Gaskel et al, 1999;Macer et al, 2000;Bredahl, 2001;Magnusson and Koivisto Hursti, 2002;Paarlberg, 2002;Anand et al, 2007). China, for example, is also characterized by consumers who are typically in favor of 1 st generation GM food products Ho et al, 2006;Huang et al, 2006b;Lin et al, 2006;Xi and Harris, 2006) and a government with a supportive position towards biotechnology Xi and Harris, 2006). According to Gonzalez et al (2009) the positive reactions in developing regions might be related to the (increasing) food insecurity they are facing, by which new technologies, among which biotechnology, are viewed as one of the potential strategies to help ensure food security.…”

Consumers’ Attitude and Product Labeling for GM Food in China and Hormone Induced Milk in the United States

“…Over the last decade several studies have investigated consumer's attitude toward biotech foods in China such as, Li et al 2002;Zhong et al 2003;Hu and Chen, 2004;Ho and Vermeer, 2004;Curtis et al, 2006;and Lin et al, 2006. The majority of these studies found Chinese consumers are generally favorable or neutral about the use of biotechnology in crop production, feed for raising livestock and poultry, and ingredients in processed food production.…”

“…However, the study has several limitations since it used hypothetical GM rice (GM rice has not been commercialized in China) and did not provide sufficient information to the consumers as to the difference between product enhanced GM (rice) and processed enhanced GM (soybean oil). Lin et al (2006) surveyed 1,100 consumers in 11 large-to-small cities including Beijing and Shanghai and found 46-67 percent of the consumers supported biotech food. The survey also found that the consumers are willing to pay 23-52 percent premium for non-GM soybean oil and 41-74 percent for non biotech rice.…”