Reuters | December 15, 1999 | By Emily Kaiser
CHICAGO - A recent lawsuit and protests against genetically modified foods suggest growing opposition in the United States, but those high-profile examples overshadow a silent majority of ambivalent U.S. consumers, agribusiness analysts said Wednesday.
"I think the average consumer still doesn't have this (biotechnology) on their radar screen," said Leonard Gianessi, a senior researcher with the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, a nonprofit research group in Washington.
"Consumers in the U.S., unlike the Europeans, trust their regulatory agencies," he said, citing the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Agriculture Department and Environmental Protection Agency. "FDA says it's safe. USDA says it's safe. EPA says it's safe. This is not like other health issues where you have people getting sick."
U.S. AND FRENCH FARMERS SUE MONSANTO
On Tuesday, a group of antitrust lawyers representing U.S. and French farmers sued life sciences firm Monsanto Co., alleging that it sold genetically altered crops without first ensuring they were safe for consumers and the environment.
Monsanto said the claims were unfounded.
The suit names as "co-conspirators" Novartis AG, DuPont Co., AstraZeneca Plc. and Dow Chemical Co.
The crops in question were modified to resist crop-eating pests or to withstand powerful herbicides. U.S. farmers have embraced the technology, which can reduce herbicide and pesticide costs, and planted the genetically modified seeds for more than half of the 1999 soybean crop and a third of the corn crop, according to U.S. Agriculture Department figures.
However, biotechnology has met with fierce resistance in Britain, and opposition has spread to other parts of Europe, Asia and to some degree the United States. Critics contend there has not been enough long-term research to conclude the crops are safe.
SEATTLE PROTESTS HIGHLIGHTED CONCERN
Protests during World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle last month, where activists carrying an anti-biotech banner attacked a fast food restaurant, also highlighted concern in the United States.
Still, analysts said U.S. consumers are not very worried about the technology, which is already showing up in staples ranging from breakfast cereal to ice cream.
A Gallup poll in October found 27 percent of Americans believed biotechnology posed a health hazard, while 53 percent thought it was safe and 20 percent were unsure.
"Most people think of food on basic terms like, 'What can I eat that is going to taste good,"' said Thomas Hoban, a sociologist at North Carolina State University who tracks consumer attitudes about biotechnology. The recent protests as well as FDA hearings on biotechnology in three U.S. cities "elevated the visibility somewhat," he said.
Hoban said his research shows that two-thirds to three-fourths of U.S. consumers have a positive or neutral opinion toward genetically modified foods. About 10 to 15 percent were opposed to it and the rest didn't know or hadn't formed an opinion.
BIOTECH AWARENESS GROWS, CONCERN DOES NOT
Biotech backlash in the United States "has probably grown to the extent that more people are aware of it, but I don't think the issue is of any greater concern (among consumers) than it was before," said Dean Cavey, an analyst with Verdant Partners, a consulting firm that advises agribusinesses.
"I think a very large number of consumers are still either unaware of or unconcerned about this concept of GMO (genetically modified) foods," he said.
Analysts pointed to the fact that this country has been spared food scares such as mad cow disease that swept through Britain, and consumers trust regulatory agencies to ensure a safe food supply.
"The average U.S. consumer has a lot of faith in the testing that products have to go through before they hit the market," said Christine McCracken, an agribusiness analyst with Midwest Research. "I don't think consumers are going to be swayed by this (lawsuit)."
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