East versus West: acceptance of GM foods by European and Asian consumers

Abstract

Purpose

Contemporary business is rather global. Food imports and exports are expanding beyond borders to meet increasing domestic and international food and consumer demands. Genetically modified (GM) food emerged as a potential sustainable solution which aims at meeting consumer demands and to mitigate urgent global food security problem. Because of its nature of existence, GM food is a controversial topic in several countries and has varied acceptance rates by consumers. Both government and consumers are antagonistic towards GM foods in most European countries. In contrast, most Asian consumers are neutral and so do not oppose GM foods. The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to examine the factors determining the difference in acceptance of GM foods between cultures. Such information can facilitate policy implications for governments in global agri-food trade and for producers in segregating markets.

Design/methodology/approach

Extensive literature review is done to base the discussions of this viewpoint paper.

Findings

This paper presents five factors that describe the difference in acceptance of GM foods between Europeans and Asians: knowledge and trust over the institutions performing research, uncertainty avoidance and health, gender differences, risk perception and material benefits and food for survival.

Originality/value

There is no systematic study that compares factors determining acceptance of GM foods across cultures.

Citation

Bongoni, R. (2016), "East versus West: acceptance of GM foods by European and Asian consumers", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 46 No. 5, pp. 628-636. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-10-2015-0121