A Consumer Perspective on Biotech Foods (Gregory Jaffe, J.D.)
New Value-Added Biotech Foods: What Do Consumers Think and Want? Gregory Jaffe Director,...
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Transcript of New Value-Added Biotech Foods: What Do Consumers Think and Want? Gregory Jaffe Director,...
New Value-Added Biotech Foods: What Do Consumers Think and Want?
Gregory JaffeDirector, Biotechnology ProjectCenter for Science in the Public InterestSeptember 16, 2003.
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
Food and nutrition consumer organization. Nutrition Action Healthletter. No government or industry funding.
CSPI’s Biotechnology Project
Purpose– Identifying benefits and risks– Establishing strong regulatory systems in US and abroad– Educating and informing the public
Positions– Current crops in US appear safe to eat and environmental
risks are manageable– Some benefits from current crops– Future products need to be assessed individually– Regulatory systems in US and abroad need strengthening
to address next generation of products
Consumers and Biotech Foods
Safe Food Safe Environment Personal Benefits Education and Information Truthfulness
Safe Food
New foods tested before marketed Independent agency determination that food
is safe Mandatory regulatory system Government oversight of companies
marketing the new food Equity in treatment of products
Safe Environment
Americans care about environment Government needs to ensure that new
biotech foods don’t harm environment
Personal Benefits
Maximize benefit while minimizing risk– First on personal level– Then on societal level
No activity is without any risk
Current Biotech Products
Bt cotton Bt corn Roundup Ready soybeans, corn, and canola Virus resistant papayas and squash
– Personal benefits to farmers and societal benefits (from environmental advantages)
What consumers would consider a benefit
Economic -- less costly food Consumption traits – taste, look, etc… Nutritional qualities – healthier foods Greater variety – new foods
– None of the biotech foods to date has any of these qualities.
Future Biotech Products
High lycopene tomatoes High oleic oil Fast growing salmon Iron-rich rice Allergin-free peanuts Firmer fruit ?????
Products consumers might want
Better tasting tomato Melons that don’t rot so quickly Corn Flakes that cost half the price Inexpensive fruit Ice cream without cholesterol
A disconnect
Developers are not listening to what consumers want?
Science cannot achieve what consumers would want?
What consumers want will not provide a sufficient rate of return for private companies?
Public sector is not working on consumer beneficial products?
The Bottom Line
Prediction: There will be no value-added biotech foods marketed in the US in next five years.
Education and Information
Need education on biotechnology Need education on agriculture Need education on the food we currently eat Need information about the benefits of the
biotech foods Need to know which specific foods are
biotech
Truthfulness (not misleading)
Claims must be standardized– What is “high”?
Need a baseline for comparison How much above baseline – 1%, 5%, 100%
– How much of value-added ingredient must be used?
Must you use all GE tomatoes?
– How to ensure claims are valid? Documentation, inspections, testing?
Gregory JaffeDirector
CSPI Biotechnology Project
Website: www.cspinet.org/biotech/index.htmlE-mail address:[email protected]