OMG GMO! Parent-Child Conversations About Genetically Modified Foods

Abstract

Studies indicate that Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs, are safe to consume, but many adults remain skeptical. What kind of input are children receiving about GMOs? And how does that input shape their understanding of what GMOs are? We investigated this question in the context of parent-child conversations about food product decisions. Seventy parent-child dyads were shown a series of food product pairings and asked to discuss their preferences. The products differed by whether they were made from GMOs, as well as whether they contained gluten and whether they were grown organically. Non-GM foods were preferred over gluten-free foods, and conversations about GM foods contained more moral language than conversations about gluten. Preferences for organic foods equaled preferences for non-GM foods, and conversations about organic foods were as morally charged, but parents were less knowledgeable about the meaning of GMO than they were about the meaning of organic. Children’s knowledge of these terms varied with their parents’ knowledge, and their participation in the food-product conversations varied with their parents’ use of moral language. Taken together, these findings suggest that children’s conceptions of GMOs are shaped by their parents’ conceptions, despite the fact that parents’ preferences and attitudes toward GMOs outstrip their knowledge of what GMOs actually are.

Deterministic or probabilistic: U.S. children's beliefs about genetic inheritance

“…Children are also exposed to information about genetics outside of formal schooling. Cultural messages around genes are pervasive (Nelkin & Lindee, 2010) and parents sometimes discuss genetic concepts with their children (Shtulman et al, 2020). Therefore, children might know and use words related to genetics before they learn their scientific meanings, and they might sometimes use them incorrectly (Smith & Williams, 2007;Venville et al, 2005).…”

Children prefer natural food, too.

“…It would be interesting to explore the strength of these preferences with more subtle manipulations. Finally, examining parent-child dyadic interactions and the role of parental attitudes in shaping children's naturalness preferences would be a fruitful area for future investigation (see Shtulman et al, 2020) and may offer some insight into the (possible) role of social learning. Although the current data do not directly inform whether social learning is the mechanism through which children come to prefer natural things, they do suggest that, if it is the mechanism, this is well established by 5 years.…”

“…To our knowledge, only one study has examined the role of the parent-child relationship in in the domain of food naturalness. Shtulman et al (2020) found that children whose parents had better knowledge of the definitions of GM, organic, and gluten-free foods themselves tended to have better knowledge of these terms. However, while they found that adults tended to prefer organic and dislike GM foods, they did not explicitly measure children's preferences, nor ask about perceived naturalness.…”