Media Coverage of Biotech Foods and Influence on Consumer Choice

In the last two decades, few issues in the global agrifood sector have attracted as much media attention as biotechnology. Thousands of brief and in depth articles have been written focusing on diverse issues—from the spectacle of ecological disasters to the promise of feeding a burgeoning world population. Among those, accounts of alleged health risks could influence consumer perceptions and behavior directly. Indeed, reporters across the globe have continued to draw parallels between biotechnology and other known food hazards, such as mad cow disease and chemical contaminants such as dioxin; they have also continued to raise the possibility of “unknown” long-term health effects—essentially framing biotechnology as a food safety risk (Marks and Kalaitzandonakes, Marks et al.). There is evidence that this broad and often negative media coverage of biotechnology has raised public awareness, influenced public perceptions, and altered the public agenda on biotech foods in Europe and elsewhere (Bauer; Durant, Bauer, and Gaskell). This is not surprising as over 90% of consumers receive information about agrifood biotechnology primarily through the popular press and television (Hoban and Kendall). Despite the apparent influence of media coverage on public perceptions, however, the question of whether such coverage has also affected consumer purchasing behavior has not been answered. The answer to this question is broadly relevant. With less than 2% of the U.S. population now engaged in agricultural production, the average food consumer has diminishing personal experience and knowledge of agriculture