New Value-Added Biotech Foods: What Do Consumers Think and Want?

Gregory JaffeDirector, Biotechnology ProjectCenter for Science in the Public InterestSeptember 16, 2003.

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

Food and nutrition consumer organization. Nutrition Action Healthletter. No government or industry funding.

CSPI’s Biotechnology Project

Purpose– Identifying benefits and risks– Establishing strong regulatory systems in US and abroad– Educating and informing the public

Positions– Current crops in US appear safe to eat and environmental

risks are manageable– Some benefits from current crops– Future products need to be assessed individually– Regulatory systems in US and abroad need strengthening

to address next generation of products

Consumers and Biotech Foods

Safe Food Safe Environment Personal Benefits Education and Information Truthfulness

Safe Food

New foods tested before marketed Independent agency determination that food

is safe Mandatory regulatory system Government oversight of companies

marketing the new food Equity in treatment of products

Safe Environment

Americans care about environment Government needs to ensure that new

biotech foods don’t harm environment

Personal Benefits

Maximize benefit while minimizing risk– First on personal level– Then on societal level

No activity is without any risk

Current Biotech Products

Bt cotton Bt corn Roundup Ready soybeans, corn, and canola Virus resistant papayas and squash

– Personal benefits to farmers and societal benefits (from environmental advantages)

What consumers would consider a benefit

Economic -- less costly food Consumption traits – taste, look, etc… Nutritional qualities – healthier foods Greater variety – new foods

– None of the biotech foods to date has any of these qualities.

Future Biotech Products

High lycopene tomatoes High oleic oil Fast growing salmon Iron-rich rice Allergin-free peanuts Firmer fruit ?????

Products consumers might want

Better tasting tomato Melons that don’t rot so quickly Corn Flakes that cost half the price Inexpensive fruit Ice cream without cholesterol

A disconnect

Developers are not listening to what consumers want?

Science cannot achieve what consumers would want?

What consumers want will not provide a sufficient rate of return for private companies?

Public sector is not working on consumer beneficial products?

The Bottom Line

Prediction: There will be no value-added biotech foods marketed in the US in next five years.

Education and Information

Need education on biotechnology Need education on agriculture Need education on the food we currently eat Need information about the benefits of the

biotech foods Need to know which specific foods are

biotech

Truthfulness (not misleading)

Claims must be standardized– What is “high”?

Need a baseline for comparison How much above baseline – 1%, 5%, 100%

– How much of value-added ingredient must be used?

Must you use all GE tomatoes?

– How to ensure claims are valid? Documentation, inspections, testing?

Gregory JaffeDirector

CSPI Biotechnology Project

Website: www.cspinet.org/biotech/index.htmlE-mail address:gjaffe@cspinet.org