Open AccessAre all GMO s the same? Consumer acceptance of cisgenic rice in India
Author(s) -
Shew Aaron M.,
Nalley Lawton L.,
Danforth Diana M.,
Dixon Bruce L.,
Nayga Rodolfo M.,
Delwaide AnneCecile,
Valent Barbara
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12442
Subject(s) - biology , willingness to pay , livelihood , microbiology and biotechnology , genetically modified organism , agricultural science , genetically modified rice , business , agriculture , genetically modified crops , economics , ecology , gene , genetics , transgene , microeconomics
Summary India has more than 215 million food‐insecure people, many of whom are farmers. Genetically modified ( GM ) crops have the potential to alleviate this problem by increasing food supplies and strengthening farmer livelihoods. For this to occur, two factors are critical: (i) a change in the regulatory status of GM crops, and (ii) consumer acceptance of GM foods. There are generally two classifications of GM crops based on how they are bred: cisgenically bred, containing only DNA sequences from sexually compatible organisms; and transgenically bred, including DNA sequences from sexually incompatible organisms. Consumers may view cisgenic foods as more natural than those produced via transgenesis, thus influencing consumer acceptance. This premise was the catalyst for our study—would Indian consumers accept cisgenically bred rice and if so, how would they value cisgenics compared to conventionally bred rice, GM ‐labelled rice and ‘no fungicide’ rice? In this willingness‐to‐pay study, respondents did not view cisgenic and GM rice differently. However, participants were willing‐to‐pay a premium for any aforementioned rice with a ‘no fungicide’ attribute, which cisgenics and GM could provide. Although not significantly different ( P = 0.16), 76% and 73% of respondents stated a willingness‐to‐consume GM and cisgenic foods, respectively.