Canadian Consumer Risk Perceptions of Food Production

Abstract

Agriculture has a long history of providing safe food products. Yet, consumers frequently express skepticism about the safety of the food products. Consumer perception of biotechnology products is not homogenous, particularly for products derived from genetic modification. This article reports results of a 2018 online consumer survey of English-speaking Canadians, wherein preferences toward a variety of risks and benefits related to commonly used food production methods were expressed. Results indicate that regardless of the method used, consumers are unsure of their feelings toward food production. Overall, consumers are skeptical of biotechnology and favor organic food production methods.

KEYTERMS:

• biotechnology
• genetic modification
• innovation
• risk
• transparency
• trust