UNDERSTANDING CONSUMERS' PERCEPTIONS TOWARD BIOTECHNOLOGY AND LABELING

Risk perceptions about biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) foods drive the choices made by many consumers. In this paper, we address two important issues; namely, consumer preferences for mandatory labeling of products using biotechnology, as well as consumer response toward three different types of genetically modified processes (biotechnology applications to increase the nutritional content of potatoes, increase potato flavor, and a decrease in pesticide use). We identify socio-demographic characteristics that affect consumer preference for mandatory labeling as well as the support level that might be associated with biotechnology techniques that could improve upon potato characteristics identified as important by the consumer