The Journal Of Commerce

Thursday, 5th November 1998
By Richard Kamchen

Gene-Altered Foods Face Uphill Battle In EU

Consumers in the European Union are far less accepting of genetically modified products than North American buyers, speakers at a Canadian Wheat Board conference said this week. According to Ray Mowling, vice president and director of Monsanto's Life Sciences business in Canada, there is substantial approval of genetically modified products in North America, with 34 products approved in the United States and 30 in Canada.

That compares with only nine in the EU. Mr. Mowling said Canadian consumers are much more confident in their regulatory system than EU buyers. He noted that Canadians have been receptive to genetically modified foods in particular if there is an obvious benefit to them, like improved taste. Technology is equally as important as consumer confidence, he stressed.

That confidence is affected by such considerations as the BSE problem in Britain, better known as "mad cow" disease.

John Bloomer, wheat biotechnology manager of British-based Zeneca Plant Science, said the EU is beginning to come around again on the genetically modified issue.

He said the BSE crisis significantly hurt acceptance of genetically modified foods because it created consumer mistrust among regulators, governments and the agriculture industry. The resulting enhanced consumer sensitivity made it much harder to get genetically modified foods approved by EU governments because politics took an increasingly important role in their decision-making, Mr. Bloomer stressed.

Negative comments in the media by such notables as Britian's Prince Charles made the situation worse and left consumers not knowing who to trust, he added.

Over a one year span, consumer confidence in genetically modified foods slipped dramatically in Britain, Mr. Bloomer said. During that year, 73% of consumers in the United States were willing to buy genetically modified foods, while 63% of British respondents were willing to do so. (Canada was not mentioned in the poll.)

In 1998, however, Mr. Bloomer's polls showed the situation had deteriorated in Britain, as 85% of respondents called for genetically modified foods to be completely segregated from organically grown products, while 77% said the modified foods should be banned altogether.

Mr. Bloomer, however, said he feels that support for genetically modified products is picking up. He noted a genetically enhanced tomato puree had found a positive response from EU buyers and the media. He concluded that, while the going may not be easy, EU consumers will come to accept genetically modified foods if they're not forced into it and if they're given information by trusted sources.

Moreover, buyers may change their opinions if there is a perception of consumer benefits, and if they're "treated with respect." There still, however, remains staunch opposition to genetically modified food. Bill Wadsworth, technical manager for Iceland Frozen Foods PLC, said Iceland, a frozen food specialist in the EU, feels the process of genetically modifying crops is unnatural because the technology is crude. He added Iceland has surveys that show consumers feel they are being forced to buy genetically modified food because they can't afford organically grown products.

As a result, Iceland removed genetically modified ingredients from its products. He added the response from competitors, who were originally opposed to Iceland's stance on genetically modified products, was to take genetically modified ingredients out of their foods as well.


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