Biotechnology use in food production has been a polarizing topic that
has encountered resistance from some consumers.

The discovery of genome editing biotechnology, in which no foreign
genetic material is introduced into the host organism while making
accurate and efficient changes in genomes, has the potential to
revolutionize food biotechnology in a more socially acceptable and less
polarizing fashion. The success and adoption of gene-edited foods,
however, ultimately depends on consumer acceptance.

This study reports the results of a geographically disperse Chinese
consumer acceptance study (n = 835) in which individuals evaluated rice
and pork products that were bio-engineered to address two significant
hazards that have recently garnered international attention: cadmium
contamination in rice and African swine fever.

We explore the role that food technologyneophobia
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consumer acceptance and assess how information on the differences
between transgenic and gene editing technologies affects consumer
preferences. While averse to the use of biotechnology in food products,
consumers were considerably more accepting of products that have
undergone genome editing rather than transgenic modification. We find
differential impacts of information provision on preferences between
pork and rice products and on preferences for product provenance.

Our analysis indicates that a reduction in consumersâ?? fear of novel food
technologies can substantially increase consumer valuation and market
acceptance ofbioengineered food
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and reinforces the need to consider attitudes in measuring acceptance of
novel food products.

Consumer acceptance of gene-edited food products in China -
ScienceDirect
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