39E-3

J. L. Brown, Department of Food Science, Penn State University, 205A Borland Laboratory, State College, 16802 and Y. PING.

The use of genetic engineering to produce first generation food products like RoundUp Ready™ soybeans creates a situation that is likely to amplify consumer outrage based on perceived risk with no perceived consumer benefit. Some have postulated that production of second generation products with more obvious benefit to consumers will generate a more positive consumer reaction because perceived consumer benefit would temper perceived risk. We examined this premise within the context of voluntary labeling which has been hypothesized to increase trust and dampen risk perception.

Our objective was to compare consumer reaction (risk perception, level of labeling desired, label design and trust in retailer) to voluntary labeling of products containing genetically engineered RoundUp Ready™ or omega-3 enriched soybeans.

Four focus groups were conducted with primary food shoppers in a household, two with those recruited via advertisements in a campus community and two with those recruited via a marketing firm using a local supermarket chain consumer database. The focus group transcripts were analyzed for major themes addressing the four reactions.

Participants (N=39) generally viewed the use of genetic engineering to produce omega-3 enriched soybeans as somewhat less risky than for herbicide resistant soybeans but outrage at either use also emerged. They disagreed about the level of labeling requiring (all foods with any soy ingredient vs. labeling at some meaningful level of the ingredient) and the wording to use on the label for either application. But voluntary labeling was seen as likely to increase trust in the instigator, in this case, the retailer.

These results, which need to be verified, suggest that voluntary labeling of food containing genetically engineered ingredients, based on sensible rules about content level, may increase consumer acceptance of perceived risk for second generation products and trust in the originator of the label.