GMO 101 Workshop - University Of Maryland...What is a GMO? •No universal, definitive answer...
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Transcript of GMO 101 Workshop - University Of Maryland...What is a GMO? •No universal, definitive answer...
I’m not a farmer… but I used to be.
The Farm to Food Movement…
TO EARN CONSUMER TRUST IN TODAY’S FOOD SYSTEM
CFI strives to:
Be a Leading Voice in a Balanced Public Conversation about Food
Align the Culture of Today’s Food System
Convene, Empower and Support Food System Stakeholders
The Center for Food Integrity
GMO 101
U.S. Adoption of GE Crops, 1996–2013 (HT = herbicide-tolerant; Bt = Bacillus thuringiensis).
What Foods Can Be GMOs?
Salmon
(2015)
What is a GMO?
• No universal, definitive answer• Taking a specific trait from one plant and using
this trait in another plant for a specific purpose • Genetic modification has been taking place
for as long as people have been growing crops for food
• Today’s methods/techniques are more precise and regulated than any other method
Generally Positive Generally Negative The U.S. National Research Council (NRC) U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) The American Medical Association, (AMA) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) European Food Safety authority (EFSA) American Society for Plant Biology (ASPB) Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) World Health Organization (WHO) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Royal Society (London) Brazil National Academy of Science, Chinese National Academy of Science Indian National Academy of Science Mexican Academy of Science Third World Academy of Sciences
But Are They Safe?
What is a GMO?
Vermont bill passed 2012 Population = 626,011
Recent state-based food labeling activity
Vermont bill passed 2012 Population = 626,011
Recent state-based food labeling activity
Labeling?
• PRO: Prompted overwhelming support
• CON: Unprompted fewer than 1%
Theme: Public Opinion
Vote with Wallet?
• PRO: Choice is king.
• CON: U.S. consumers can already avoid GE products by choosing organics. (In countries with mandatory labeling, GE products have generally been removed from the market, so choice has been reduced.)
Theme: Consumer Choice
Tell me the Whole Truth
• PRO: Don’t hide the truth
• CON: Slippery slope
Theme: Right to Know
What’s Coming?
Continued Pressure to Label
• Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) grants authority for food labeling to the FDA in the US
• Production methods or processes that create no material difference in products require no special labeling.
• Although some may consider the insertion or manipulation of genes in a laboratory a “material difference” per se, the science of food safety has not identified differences in the composition or safety of food derived from commercialized GE crops that would necessitate mandating a process-based label on GE food.
• The FDA allows voluntary process-based labeling as long as it is not false or misleading.
Labeling Specifics
4
CAFFEINE!!!
But False, Misleading Labels Do Exist
Mandatory Labeling: Legal Issues1. Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution
- forbids individual states from unduly burdening interstate commerce
2. Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and FDCA Preemption- federal law prevails in any conflict with state law
3. The First Amendment Protection of Commercial Speech
- prohibits government compulsion of commercial speech unless the speech is factual, uncontroversial, and reasonably related to a legitimate government interest.
National GE Labeling Law• To mandate labeling of GE food, the U.S. would have to
show a scientific health threat to be compliant with international trade law.
• Many of the GE labeling laws in the 64 countries around the world that require GE labeling likely violate the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its 1994 Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, which frowns on process-based labels mandating disclosure of information on production-process issues that do not relate to food safety.
Transparency in Labeling
Transparency in Labeling
Apples, Potatoes & Salmon… Oh My!
What is a GMO?
Consumers Have More Questions Than Ever Before
Why the disconnect?What changed?
History: The Decline of Trust
History: The Decline of Trust
History: The Decline of Trust
The frequency and visibility of
violations of public trust by
government, military, business and religious institutions have been consistent enough
over the last five decades to breed broad
public skepticism about
whether or not institutions are
worthy of trust.
What does this have to do with food?
Consolidated, Integrated, Industrialized
Historical Perspective: Decline of Trust
THEN NOW
Authority is granted primarily by office
Broad social consensus driven by WASP males
Communication is formal, indirect
(mass communication)
Progress is inevitable
“Big” is respected
Authority is granted primarily by relationship
No single social consensus, great diversity, many voices0
Communication is informal, direct (masses of communicators)
Progress is possible
“Big” is bad
Today’s consumersShifting societal attitudes
Many choices, Many voices
Mistrust in farming and foodDesire to know/trust people behind food
The public senses a change in the way
food is produced but doesn’t know why
Food is necessarytraditionalpersonal
The Trust Model Provides Guidance
What’s the Best Approach?
Building trusts requires a new approach
CFI Trust Model
VALUE
SIMILARITY
CONFIDENCE
COMPETENCE
INFLUENTIAL
OTHERS
TRUST
SOCIAL
LICENSE
FREEDOM
TO
OPERATE
Trust research was published in the December 2009
Journal ofRural Sociology
Shared values are 3-5x more important in building trust than sharing facts or
demonstrating technical skills/expertise
What Drives Consumer Trust?
TRUST
“No one cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
Don’t abandon science and facts
Lead with Shared Values to Build Trust
Balance for Success
Answering the Wrong Question
Ethical Question (Should) Science Question (Can)
Balance for Success
What information sources have you used to come to your conclusions that GMOs are dangerous?
The “Mom Tribe” Consumer Panel
Heidi: “I’m part of a moms group. When there is a big consensus, I think ‘there’s something here.’ You don’t need doctors or scientists confirming it when you have hundreds of moms.”
What drives you?
Are you the right person?
Who Should Engage on GMOs?
• An advocacy group
• A peer who shares my interests about food
• A state government scientist
• A university scientist
• A farmer
• Dr. Oz
• A scientist who is a mom
• A federal government scientist
• A well-known food blogger
• A celebrity chef
• Someone who is a mom
Possible Sources: GMOs
Level of Trust in Sources of Info: GM Foods
0% 50% 100%
11%
11%
10%
56%
53%
48%
34%
37%
42%
0 to 3 (Low Level of Trust) 4 to 7 8 to 10 (High Level of Trust)
(n=2005)
(mean=6.66)
(mean=6.41)
(mean=6.31)
A university scientist (A)
A scientist who is a mom (B)
A farmer (C)
Q19b. Please rate the level of trust you have in the
following sources of information GM Foods using the
scale provided.
Level of Trust in Sources of Info: GM Foods
0% 50% 100%
20%
18%
15%
48%
50%
56%
32%
31%
28%
0 to 3 (Low Level of Trust) 4 to 7 8 to 10 (High Level of Trust)
(n=2005)
(mean=5.86)
(mean=5.83)
(mean=5.82)
A peer who shares my interests about food (D)
A state government scientist (E)
A federal government scientist (F)
Q19b. Please rate the level of trust you have in the
following sources of information GM Foods using the
scale provided.
Level of Trust in Sources of Info: GM Foods
0% 50% 100%
27%
23%
20%
52%
54%
54%
21%
24%
25%
0 to 3 (Low Level of Trust) 4 to 7 8 to 10 (High Level of Trust)
(n=2005)
(mean=5.52)
(mean=5.39)
(mean=5.07)
Someone who is a mom (H)
A well-known food blogger (I)
An advocacy group (G)
Q19b. Please rate the level of trust you have in the
following sources of information GM Foods using the
scale provided.
Level of Trust in Sources of Information About Genetically Modified Foods (Continued)
0% 50% 100%
30%
31%
50%
44%
20%
25%
0 to 3 (Low Level of Trust) 4 to 7 8 to 10 (High Level of Trust)
(n=2005)
(mean=5.00)
(mean=4.92)
Dr. Oz (J)
A celebrity chef(K)
Q19b. Please rate the level of trust you have in the
following sources of information GM Foods using the
scale provided.
Who do consumers hold accountable for transparency?
Who Consumers Hold Responsible
Farmers Grocery StoresFood Companies Restaurants
Impact of Food on Health
Food Safety
Environmental Impact
Labor and Human Rights
Animal Well-Being
Business Ethics
28 1641 15
2837 1717
3240 1415
3738 1213
3049 1011
27 1642 15
Your Voice Is Necessary!
So where do you find these
consumers?
Food System Issue Sources
Ranked First as Info Source on Food System Issues
Web Sites 21%
(Highest % of Top Source
Mentions for Early
Adopters)
Local TV Station
15%
Friends-Not
Online
13%
Family-Not
Online 13%
10%
If our only goal is to persuade the activists,or change their minds, we will lose.
If our first goal is to educate, we lose.
What’s the Goal of Communication?
Our Goals Should Be...
Embrace the skepticismConsumer concerns are real
Perception is their realityShare your values
How Do You Effectively Engage With Consumers About Food Issues?
Conversations, not Messages
How: Conversations, not Messages
1. Listen –Without Judgment
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen
with the intent to reply.
Seek first to understand; then to be understood.”
- Stephen R. Covey
Not Every Conversation is Meant to Be
“What I hear about industrial agriculture affecting our water
supply today is very concerning. I just have a lot more trust and
respect for local family farmers.”
“All these food recalls are scary. I want to eat more fresh fruits
and vegetables, but I’m not sure what is safe anymore.”
“Food prices are challenging. It is so difficult for me to buy healthy,
affordable food for my family.”
“I only eat organic foods because they don’t contain GMOs, which
I hear are bad for us.”
What do these people value?
2. Ask Questions to Invite Dialogue
2. Ask Questions to Invite Dialogue
AcknowledgeShows that you heard thequestion or statement
AskAsk questions that show you’re working to understand them better
Acknowledge and Ask
Acknowledge: A phrase that acknowledges you heard the question or statement
• I hadn’t heard that before…• I can understand why there’s confusion…• It’s something I’ve wondered, too…
Ask: A question that shows you’re working to understand them better.
• How old are your kids?• Can you tell me where you read/heard/saw
that? I’d love to check it out.• What concerns you most about <topic>?
• “What” instead of “why”
3. Share Your Perspective through Values
Person First; Expert Second
Consumers Need Your Help
1. Science doesn’t explain everything or give consumers all the answers they seek.
2. Communicating in a way that embraces skepticism, fear and concerns isn’t easy, but is essential.
3. Those connected to food and agriculture are perfectly positioned to connect with consumers. They trust your expertise and insights.
You make a difference. Conversations about food and
agriculture are empowered and enlightened by you: and no one
can tell your story and share your values the way you can.
BestFoodFacts.org
Resources
CFIEngage.org
FoodIntegrity.org
