Anticipating a boom in the development and commercialization of new genetically modified food crops, the White House proposed stricter regulations on Aug. 2 that would update field test requirements for biotech plants and establish early food safety assessments. Companies seeking to market new varieties of biotech crops would feel most of the proposal's impact. Biotechnology is not a minor or new issue in the United States, the world's largest producer of genetically modified food crops. How concerned is the American public about gene-altered food and medicine?
According to a July 2002 Gallup poll*, 30% of Americans say they actively try to avoid foods produced using biotechnology. Those most likely to report avoiding genetically modified foods are nonwhites (39%), those with household incomes between $20,000 and $29,000 a year, and those with a high school education or less (36%).
One argument in favor of the use of genetically modified foods is that they require less use of pesticides. Americans are actually more likely to report actively avoiding produce grown with pesticides (39%) than foods using biotechnology (30%). For perspective, however, consider that both groups are dwarfed in comparison to the percentage of Americans who avoid fat (62%) and artificially sweetened foods (50%). Further, a slight majority of Americans (52%) say they don't think about whether or not to eat foods produced with biotechnology at all.
These sentiments have changed very little from last year -- in response to a July 2001 Gallup poll**, 30% said they felt that foods using biotechnology pose a significant health hazard, while 53% felt that they do not. Fifty-four percent reported that the use of biotechnology in foods and medicines was an issue that they were not following closely or not following at all, while 45% said they followed the issue somewhat or very closely.
Overall, Americans Support Biotechnology
In July 2001, 52% of Americans said they supported using biotechnology in agriculture and food products, although only 9% strongly supported it. Thirty-eight percent were opposed, including 14% who were strongly opposed.
Americans' level of support toward biotechnology is at odds with the policies of many other governments around the world. In July 2002, the European Parliament voted for strict labeling of genetically modified foods. All products, including animal feed, that contain more than .5% of genetically modified ingredients would be labeled. This legislation strengthens what are already the world's toughest rules governing the marketing and production of genetically modified foods.
Key Points
Food allergies affect between 6 and 7 million Americans, according to the Food Allergy Network, and one of the main fears about genetically modified foods is that they could cause unexpected allergic reactions (i.e., a nut gene could turn up in a grain product, causing severe allergic reactions for those allergic to nuts).
On the other hand, the U.N.'s Population Division estimates that the world's population will approach 10 billion people by the year 2050. According to the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC), few new technologies will be able to surpass biotechnology -- with potential benefits such as disease resistance, reduced pesticide use, improved nutrition, rapid growth of crops and herbicide tolerance -- in combating food shortages as that growth occurs.
Biotechnology has a great deal of potential, and currently enjoys a relatively high level of support among Americans. However, this support places great responsibility on the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that benefits are achieved without exposing the U.S. population to significant risks. Failure to do so at this stage could precipitate a drop in public support to levels closer to those in European countries.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,004 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 9-11, 2002. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3%.
**Results are based on telephone interviews with 534 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 19-22, 2001. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±5%.