The Marketing Of Biotechnology To the American Public - AgEBB

The Marketing Of Biotechnology To The American Public

By Kellie Bray
Undergraduate Student In Agricultural Economics 333, W96
And
By Deanne Hackman
Research Associate and Adjunct Instructor
Social Science Unit, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
University of Missouri - Columbia

green line
April 30, 1996

CAUTION: Do not rely upon this information for legal advice. See an attorney for legal counseling tailored to your specific situation and needs.

Biotechnology is a phenomenon that has made significant contributions to the industry of agriculture and natural resources. The various processes used in transferring genetic information from one species to another is now being used in everything from turkeys to tobacco. Even though biotechnology has been in use for about the past two decades, its positive effects are still questionable. Because the uses biotechnology are constantly growing and becoming more diverse, it is difficult for consumers to keep up-to-date on what is safe and what is not safe. Therefore, it is crucial for consumers to stay informed on what is happening in the world of biotechnology. Biotechnology is still a very new concept in the eyes of many consumers. This makes how companies market their new technologies even more vital to the success of the products. Consumers should consult many different sources when learning about biotechnology to insure that they do not receive purely biased information.

Consumers alone will determine the success or failure of products and processes that utilize biotechnology. This will be indicated by consumers' market behavior. Therefore companies as well as consumer groups have sponsored many different studies to measure the response of people concerning advances in biotechnology.
Common results include:
  1. Consumers want to be more informed biotechnology in general as well as becoming more aware of uses of biotechnology that affect the food supply.
  2. Consumers use newspapers, magazines, and television as their main sources of information on biotechnology even though these same mediums were cited as the sources of information least trusted.
  3. Dietitians, university scientists and health professionals were cited as the most trusted sources of information concerning biotechnology.
  4. Participants felt that the government should have some role in ensuring the safety of foods that had been bioengineered, although most question the governments right to do so.(Zimmerman, et al.)
Ethics also plays a key role in the public acceptance of biotechnology, "the real issue is the ethical concern for the species and the moral questions involving man's right to tamper with nature." This concern addresses not only the short term effects of the safety of the experimentation but also the long term effects of testing on society. (Looney, et al.)

The physical dangers that may result from the release of new biotechnologies have also raised concerns among various organizations. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has established guidelines which focus on safety and methods of research. Federal agencies involved in research or the sponsorship of research have adopted similar guidelines as well.

The United States Department of Agriculture has been proactive in establishing processes for consideration to ensure the safety of biotechnologically developed or altered products or organisms. Regulatory programs currently exist the USDA will use to govern such issues. Other federal agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency, have also accepted similar policies.(Looney, et al.)

Biotechnology is rapidly changing the face of the agriculture industry. Its applications are varied and sources of information are, in some instances, invalid. For these reasons, consumers should gather information from many different sources in order to formulate their own opinion of how products and processes impacted by biotechnology will affect them. Naturally this will be difficult since companies using biotechnology wish to "sell" their idea to the consumer markets. However, by gaining knowledge and investigating processes practiced by companies, the consumer will have the controlling hand in determining the outcome for biotechnology.

Bibliography

Looney, J.W. and Donald Utchman. Agricultural Law: Principles and Cases. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1994.
Zimmerman, Linda, Patricia Kendall, Martha Stone, and Thomas Hoban. "Consumer Knowledge and Concern About Biotechnology and Food Safety." Food Technology Nov. 1994: 71-77.