By Caroline Roper
Whether referring to food as genetically engineered or genetically modified, consumers showed little difference as to which term concerns them more, a study by the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education found.
The online survey that 510 Floridians completed asked consumers about the safety of both genetically modified foods and genetically engineered foods.
“We asked consumers to compare the two phrases, and the results were pretty similar,” PIE Center Director Tracy Irani said. “These are terms that, though they are defined differently, have been communicated about on an almost interchangeable basis for quite a while.”
According to the Food and Drug Administration, genetic modification means the alteration of the genotype of a plant using any technique, new or traditional. Genetic engineering, considered the more invasive option, is defined by the FDA as a “process in which recombinant DNA technology is used to introduce desirable traits into organisms.”
Respondents were asked about their concerns surrounding both genetically modified and genetically engineered foods. Forty-five percent of respondents were extremely or moderately worried about genetically modified foods, and 44 percent of respondents were extremely or moderately worried about genetically engineered foods.
Genetically modified is often the term used by the media when referring to genetically altered crops. PIE Center researchers also used the term in the study.
“We used genetically modified because it’s the more commonly utilized, particularly in more generalized communications,” Irani said. “Instead of getting tangled up in the scientific language, we chose to stay with the more commonly utilized term.”
Members of the agricultural industry and government agencies, including the Farm Bureau Federation and United States Department of Agriculture, most commonly use the term genetic engineering.
“The public and members of interest groups sometimes talk about modification and they mean engineering,” Irani said. “This is a very complex issue because genetic engineering is a term that scientists use for specific applications such as pesticide-resistant crops, but cross-breeding, for example, is congruent with genetic modification as well.”
The study, led by PIE Center researcher Joy Rumble, showed consumers have an overall lack of understanding surrounding genetic modification in foods. Rumble, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, hopes to continue the research and work with producers to effectively educate the public.
“With GMOs, there’s just so much lack of understanding that consumers can’t make a decision,” Rumble said. “That shows the opportunity to clarify the science and communicate about it in an effective manner.”
