Consumers' Opinions and Attitudes Towards Co-existence of GM and Non-GM Food Products

The introduction of new technologies in the food industries has given rise in the past to some scientific uncertainty that has hampered informed choice. Here, we draw upon the case of genetically modified (GM) technology and, in particular, on different types of GM food, to investigate consumers' behavioural reactions to GM food as well as their willingness‐to‐pay to avoid GM food in five EU countries in 2007. We compare consumers' reactions to cornflakes (to represent a processed food) and tomatoes and rapeseed oil (to represent a “fresh food”) juxtaposed with GM and conventionally produced food. Our results reveal that, although GM food is the least preferred production process (vis‐à‐vis organic or conventional food), consumers can be divided into three country groups depending on their differing preferences for organic food. Although risk is an influential characteristic, risk rankings indicate that GM food is perceived as less risky than irradiation, artificial growth hormones in food, or pesticides used in the production process.