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To: Organic Issues <organic@lists.iatp.org>
From: mritchie@iatp.org
Date: 2003-07-16 22:00:43
Subject: 51 percent say they're attracted to foods with labels saying
they're not genetically modified;
X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.0.3 Beta
From: "Michael Khoo" one question on this new ABC poll says "On the flip side of the labeling
issue, 51 percent say they're attracted to foods with labels saying they're
not genetically modified; and 46 percent say the same for food labeled as
hormone- and antibiotic-free." _________________________________________________
Genetic Resistance
Poll: Modified Foods Give Consumers Pause
Analysis
By David Morris
[ABCNEWS.com] July 15 - A third of Americans try to avoid buying foods that have been
genetically modified or treated with antibiotics or hormones - and that
resistance apparently would swell if such products were required to be
labeled, as the public broadly desires.
[Allstate (Ad Served by Bluestreak)]
Sampling, data collection and tabulation for this poll were done by TNS
Intersearch.There have been gains in the belief that genetically modified food is safe
to eat - up 11 points since 2001, to 46 percent, the latest ABCNEWS poll
finds. Still, if it were labeled, 55 percent of Americans say they'd avoid
such foods, including 62 percent of women, who do most food shopping. Nearly half of adults, 47 percent, also say they'd try to avoid hormone- or
antibiotic-treated food if it were labeled as such, the poll finds. As things stand, without labels, about one-third of Americans say they try
to avoid buying both kinds of foods. The rest say it's not important enough
to bother. The food industry opposes mandatory labeling, perhaps reflecting its
concerns over the level of consumer resistance. But in this survey, huge
majorities of Americans favor mandatory labeling - 92 percent for
genetically modified foods, and 85 percent for food from farm animals that
have been fed hormones or antibiotics. On the flip side of the labeling issue, 51 percent say they're attracted to
foods with labels saying they're not genetically modified; and 46 percent
say the same for food labeled as hormone- and antibiotic-free. Safety Concerns The public divides evenly, 46 percent to 46 percent, on whether genetically
modified foods are safe to eat, indicating more acceptance than two years
ago, when these foods were seen as unsafe by a margin of 52 percent to 35
percent. There's also a division on food from farm animals treated with hormones or
antibiotics; 49 percent think it's safe, 42 percent unsafe.
Gene-Altered Food
Sex Safe Unsafe
All 46% 46%
Men 56% 36%
Women 37% 54%
Again, there's a difference by sex, with women less apt than men to say
these foods are safe. Women's concerns peak specifically with gene-altered
food; 54 percent think it's unsafe, while 56 percent of men say the
opposite. (In 2001, however, more women - 62 percent - thought
bio-engineered foods were unsafe.)
Hormone-Treated Food
Sex Safe Unsafe
All 49% 42%
Men 53% 39%
Women 45% 44%
More generally, nine in 10 adults think food eaten in the United States is
safe, far more than say that about genetically altered or hormone-treated
food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private studies,
at least one-third of U.S. crops are bio-engineered, including two-thirds
of soybeans. Residents of the Midwest, sometimes referred to as the Farm Belt, have a
slightly more favorable view of gene-altered food; 53 percent think it's
safe, compared with 39 percent in the Northeast. People who've attended
college are also more likely to say altered foods are safe. Methodology This ABCNEWS poll was conducted by telephone July 9-13 among a random
national sample of 1,024 adults. The results have a three-point error
margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation were done by TNS
Intersearch of Horsham, Pa. Previous ABCNEWS polls can be found in our Poll Vault.
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