Proactive consumer consultation: the effect of information provision on response to transgenic animals

Abstract

A national study is reported which proactively engaged 1365 Canadian consumers and solicited their opinions concerning new transgenic salmon and pork products which have not yet entered the marketplace. Respondents were methodically requested to provide initial free‐association responses, and then scaled responses to product concepts about which progressively more information was revealed. This combined qualitative and quantitative method was pursued in order to determine initial knowledge levels and subsequent responses with a minimal amount of cueing via question probes. The results indicate that disclosure concerning benefits and risks of these new technologies did not harm judgements about them or estimates of purchase intent. A significant determinant of opinions was the gender of the respondent. Females were more negatively predisposed overall to the concepts and more sensitive to specific information regarding product benefits and risks. The research offers a methodological template for public consultation and communication pre‐testing for new biotechnological products. Implications for regulatory policy and information dissemination for new food biotechnology products are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Invited review: Sustainability of the US dairy industry

“…In fact, failure to consider public acceptability before and after research and development of certain technologies increases the risk of eroding the generally positive image of the dairy industry in the eyes of today's consumers (Godfray et al, 2010b). We see more work needed in risk analyses, including significant public dialog and consultation (Castle et al, 2005), before investing resources in contentious technologies.…”

Public attitudes towards genomic risk profiling as a component of routine population screening

“…Based on previous approaches to public engagement examining genomics in agriculture (Castle et al 2005;Castle and Finlay 2006), we developed a deliberative workshop consisting of three components: an information component comprising three information sets that provided a progressive release of information about genomic risk profiling and its potential implications; a deliberation component providing an opportunity for questions, discussion, and debate after each information set; and a data collection component using multiple approaches to capture participants' reactions and attitudes. All workshops were facilitated by one researcher (B.J.W.…”

“…As with previous research using progressive information release (Castle et al 2005;Castle and Culver 2006), information sets were developed to be understandable to participants, with a reasonable information load. Relevant experts (molecular and clinical genetics, epidemiology, ethics, family medicine, and psychology) collaborated to ensure that the descriptions were technically accurate and that the known risks, benefits, and issues were included.…”

Biotechnology in Aquaculture: Transgenics and Polyploidy

“…The transgenic fish are also neutered to prevent interbreeding with wild stocks. AquAdvantage salmon, which grow at a rate 4 to 6 times greater than nontransgenic Atlantic salmon, are currently under regulatory review in both the United States and Canada (Castle and others 2005).…”

“…Therefore, in addition to the evaluation of environmental and human health effects of GMOs, surveys into consumer acceptance of transgenic products are also important. Interestingly, in a study into the opinions of 1365 Canadian consumers regarding sales of transgenic animal products, the majority showed a favorable attitude toward the concept of GM salmon, while a lesser percentage revealed positive attitudes toward intent to purchase transgenic salmon products (Castle and others 2005). Consumer attitudes were found to be most favorable when the greatest amount of information was provided regarding the transgenic products, indicating the importance of keeping consumers informed.…”