Opinion polls suggest that European public opinion is overwhelmingly hostile
to food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Yet
research by Charles Noussair, Stephane Robin and Bernard Ruffieux,
published in the January 2004 issue of the Economic Journal, reveals that
almost two-thirds of people would eat GM foods, after all, if the price is right.
The study uses the results of role-playing experiments to analyse the actual
purchase behaviour of a demographically representative sample of French
consumers. Participants tasted several products without observing their
packaging and labelling and were then asked to indicate the maximum
amount of money that they were willing to pay for each of them. Over time,
they were told which of them carried a GM label.
The results show that consumers place great value on the absence of GMOs
in food products, but also that their behaviour is not as hostile toward GMOs
as polling data suggest:
· 35% of all consumers refuse GM products, that is, they are unwilling to
purchase a product at any price after they learn that the product
contains GMOs.
· 42% of all consumers reveal a willingness to purchase a GM product if
it is sufficiently inexpensive.
· The remaining 23% show no aversion to GM ingredients.
The strength of the guarantee of genetic purity has an impact on willingnessto-
pay. A product presented as ‘guaranteed free of GMOs’ is not refused by
any participant. At a threshold of 0.1%, which means that ‘no ingredient in the
product consists of more than 0.1% GM material’, 4.4% of consumers refuse
to purchase the product. At a threshold of 1%, the percentage of participants
who refuse to purchase the product increases to 10.7%. But this still means
that 9 out of 10 people would eat food with only 1% GMOs.
The decision to refuse GMOs is not strongly related to demographic
indicators, such as gender, age, and profession, although those with higher
educational levels are slightly more likely to refuse them. Presenting
participants with detailed information about the regulation of GM products in
France has no effect on behaviour.
Before undertaking the experiment, the authors conducted a survey
confirming that French public opinion remains overwhelmingly hostile to
GMOs in food products. For example, 89% of respondents indicate opposition
to the presence of GMOs in their food and 79% are in favour of the
interdiction of GMOs. Furthermore, 92% indicate that they would refuse to
purchase GM tomatoes or French fries.
Yet actual purchase behaviour demonstrates considerably less hostility
toward the presence of GMOs in food products than suggested in these and
other surveys of public opinion. The data indicate that a large segment of the
market would be made better off with the option of purchasing less expensive
GM products. However, another large segment, those who refuse GM
products at any price, would be worse off if there were no GM-free products
available.
The introduction of GMOs into the food supply has ignited a passionate
debate in Europe. Currently, in the European Union (EU), no GMO may be
introduced without prior authorisation, which is only given after a complete
scientific evaluation of the risks posed to health and the environment.
Furthermore, the EU requires the labelling information ‘contains GMOs’ on all
GM food products.
This policy, in effect, creates two markets, one for GM and one for GM-free
food products. The results of this study support the choice of European
regulators to segment the market and to require the labelling of GM products.
ENDS
Notes for Editors: ‘Do European Consumers Really Refuse to Buy GM
Foods?’ by Charles Noussair, Stephane Robin and Bernard Ruffieux is
published in the January 2004 issue of the Economic Journal.
The authors are at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Genie Industriel.
For Further Information: contact Bernard Ruffieux on +33-4-76-57-45-64
(email: Bernard.Ruffieux@inpg.fr); Stephane Robin on +33-3-20-13-40-60 or
+ 33-4-72-86-60-83 (email: robin@gate.cnrs.fr); or RES Media Consultant
Romesh Vaitilingam on 0117-983-9770 or 07768-661095 (email:
romesh@compuserve.com).