Listened to, but not heard! The failure to represent the public in genetically modified food policies

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 923-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Lassen
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
Parliamentary Debates ◽  
The Public ◽  
Parliamentary Government ◽  
Public Concerns

‘In the mid-1990s, a mismatch was addressed between European genetically modified food policy, which focused primarily on risks and economic prospects, and public anxieties, which also included other concerns, and there was a development in European food policy toward the inclusion of what were referred to as “ethical aspects.” Using parliamentary debates in Denmark in 2002 and 2015 as a case, this article examines how three storylines of concern that were visible in public discourse at the time were represented by the decision makers in parliament. It shows that core public concerns raising fundamental questions about genetically modified foods, and in particular their perceived unnaturalness, were not considered in the parliamentary debates. It is suggested that the failure of the parliament to represent the public may undermine the legitimacy of politicians and lead to disillusionment with parliamentary government.

scholarly journals Social Acceptance for Commercialization of Genetically Modified Food Animals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyao Fan ◽  
Yulian Mu ◽  
Tad Sonstegard ◽  
Xiaomei Zhai ◽  
Kui Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Variation ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Social License ◽  
Food Animals ◽  
Natural Mutation ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Genetically modified food animals (GMFAs) are needed to address early the cumulative effects of livestock production on the environment and to accommodate future food demands. In 2020 China and the U.S., the world's two largest economies, embarked on regulatory reforms to boost the commercialization of such animals. However, gaining social acceptance of GMFAs for commercialization remains a global challenge. We propose a framework that focuses on social license for commercialization of GMFAs by defining four classes of improvement using precision genetics: 1) animals equivalent to natural variation to obtain the improved effect of cross-breeding (ENV); 2) animals with an inactivated gene that could occur via natural mutation (ENC-); 3) animals harboring a natural genetic sequence isolated from another species (ENC+); and 4) animals with synthetic sequences encoding novel genes (BNE). Our approach can guide regulators and the public to support orderly commercialization of genetically modified food animals.

Correcting Misperceptions About Genetically Modified Food on Social Media: Examining the Impact of Experts, Social Media Heuristics, and the Gateway Belief Model

2020 ◽  
pp. 107554702098137
Author(s):  
Leticia Bode ◽  
Emily K. Vraga ◽  
Melissa Tully
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Impact

We experimentally test whether expert organizations on social media can correct misperceptions of the scientific consensus on the safety of genetically modified (GM) food for human consumption, as well as what role social media cues, in the form of “likes,” play in that process. We find expert organizations highlighting scientific consensus on GM food safety reduces consensus misperceptions among the public, leading to lower GM misperceptions and boosting related consumption behaviors in line with the gateway belief model. Expert organizations’ credibility may increase as a result of correction, but popularity cues do not seem to affect misperceptions or credibility.

scholarly journals Public Perception on Labeling Genetically Modified (GM) Foods in Ghana: Implications for Food Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 25-37
Author(s):  
Richard Ampadu-Ameyaw ◽  
Johnny Owusu-Arthur ◽  
Kwame Dei Asamoah-Okyere
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Food Ingredients ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gm Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Choice Variable

Labeling of genetically modified (GM) food and other food ingredients from GM source has become an important national policy issues receiving serious attention not only in Ghana but globally.   This paper focused on public perceptions of labeling of GM foods in Ghana as a way of garnering a view of the public understanding of the technology that has become so much controversial for which several millions of public sector money is spent on education in the last few years. The survey which elapsed over a period of three months, shows results that indicate a dearth of knowledge on the technology and yet a high demand for labelling of the products, even though not many people read the labels on food products. This leads to the question as to ‘who is doing the listening’. The authors conclude that the limited knowledge and technology essentials among others explain why the public seems to reject the technology and call for labelling of the products in spite of the fact that labelling is nothing but a choice variable, which has nothing to do with safety measure. Modifying the present attitude of the opponents of the technology and the demanders of labelling ignoring the cost that may be involved require extensive education and awareness creations throughout the country using tailor made communication forms to address various different groups.

scholarly journals Challenger Networks of Food Policy on the Internet

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Pfetsch ◽  
Daniel Maier ◽  
Peter Miltner ◽  
Annie Waldherr
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
National Politics ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
The Uk

In times of genetically modified food, globalized production and distribution chains, food safety is a major issue in public policy. Although industrial actors have traditionally had remarkable influence on political decision-making in this area, challenger organizations from civil society have gained influence by mobilizing support and shaping public discourse on the Internet. The authors' study analyzes online issue networks concerning food safety in order to assess the actor constellations and coalitions that may serve as an opportunity structure for the mobilization of the issue. By comparing the US, the UK, Germany, and Switzerland, the authors investigate the differences in policy settings between pluralist and corporatist democracies. They find that the mobilization structures related to food safety issues are actively promoted by the challengers themselves. In countries where challengers do not find support within national politics, the challengers' online communication refers to mass media as witnesses to legitimize their concern in public debates.

scholarly journals Microblog credibility indicators regarding misinformation of genetically modified food on Weibo

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252392
Author(s):  
Jiaojiao Ji ◽  
Naipeng Chao ◽  
Shitong Wei ◽  
George A. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gm Food

The considerable amount of misinformation on social media regarding genetically modified (GM) food will not only hinder public understanding but also mislead the public to make unreasoned decisions. This study discovered a new mechanism of misinformation diffusion in the case of GM food and applied a framework of supervised machine learning to identify effective credibility indicators for the misinformation prediction of GM food. Main indicators are proposed, including user identities involved in spreading information, linguistic styles, and propagation dynamics. Results show that linguistic styles, including sentiment and topics, have the dominant predictive power. In addition, among the user identities, engagement, and extroversion are effective predictors, while reputation has almost no predictive power in this study. Finally, we provide strategies that readers should be aware of when assessing the credibility of online posts and suggest improvements that Weibo can use to avoid rumormongering and enhance the science communication of GM food.

The Differential Effects of Knowledge on Perceptions of Genetically Modified Food Safety

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Hasell ◽  
Natalie Jomini Stroud
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
The Us ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Despite scientific consensus in the US that genetically modified (GM) foods are generally as safe as conventionally grown foods, the public remains skeptical about their safety. Extant research shows mixed results about the relationship between knowledge and attitudes when it comes to public opinion of GM foods in the US. This study uses data from the Pew American Trends Panel to examine the relationship between knowledge about GM foods and beliefs about their safety, in addition to what may be moderating these relationships. Results show that the relationship between knowledge and belief varies across different types of knowledge and that the effect of knowledge is moderated by perceptions of the immorality of genetic modification, rather than political or religious views.

scholarly journals Increasing Salience of Crime Control in Finnish Parliamentary Data from the 1970s to the 2000s

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-177
Author(s):  
Esko Häkkinen
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Criminal Policy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
General Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Post War ◽  
Relative Prevalence ◽  
The Right

In Finland, a post-war expansion of the welfare state was associated with a decline in the use of imprisonment. The 1990s marked the beginning of a more ambivalent era in Finnish criminal justice. How does this turning point appear in the public discourse on crime by political decision-makers? All parliamentary questions and members’ initiatives from 1975 to 2010 were examined with a keyword-based quantitative search, and further content analysis was conducted on data made up of 1589 written parliamentary questions about crime control from 1970 to 2010. The relative prevalence of criminal policy issues rose significantly in the early 1990s. During the same period, the political initiative moved towards the right and the views of the left seemed to move closer to the right concurrently. Although stances became tougher, expressions of leniency were in the minority before the 1990s too, which stresses the significance of the general level of political attention itself. Developments regarding specific types of crime are discussed. Keywords: Criminal justice, penal policy, legal history, parliamentary democracy, political parties, Finland.

Regulating genetically modified food: Policy trajectories, political culture, and risk perceptions in the U.S., Canada, and EU

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton E. Wohlers
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
The United States ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
National Differences

This paper examines whether national differences in political culture add an explanatory dimension to the formulation of policy in the area of biotechnology, especially with respect to genetically modified food. The analysis links the formulation of protective regulatory policies governing genetically modified food to both country and region-specific differences in uncertainty tolerance levels and risk perceptions in the United States, Canada, and European Union. Based on polling data and document analysis, the findings illustrate that these differences matter. Following a mostly opportunistic risk perception within an environment of high tolerance for uncertainty, policymakers in the United States and Canada modified existing regulatory frameworks that govern genetically modified food in their respective countries. In contrast, the mostly cautious perception of new food technologies and low tolerance for uncertainty among European Union member states has contributed to the creation of elaborate and stringent regulatory policies governing genetically modified food.

User Engagement in Public Discourse on Genetically Modified Organisms: The Role of Opinion Leaders on Social Media

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 691-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Xu ◽  
Nan Yu ◽  
Yunya Song
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Message Framing ◽  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
The Public

This study adopted a quantitative content analysis to examine how source attributes of opinion leaders and their message framing influenced user engagement in the public discourse of genetically modified organism (GMO) on Chinese social media. The findings showed that different source attributes and message frames used by opinion leaders varied in their respective influences on three dimensions of user engagement—reposts, comments, and likes. The attribute of account verification only predicted surface-level engagement (i.e., liking), whereas account type significantly influenced in-depth engagement (i.e., reposting and commenting). The fact, opportunity, pro-GMO, and international frames positively predicted user engagement.

Genetically Modified Food

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Ankeny ◽  
Heather Bray
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Food Production System ◽  
Food Manipulation

Although humans have been manipulating plants and animals used in agriculture for thousands of years, there are differing views on whether it is morally or ethically acceptable to produce, use, or consume genetically modified (GM) organisms particularly in the context of food products. In this chapter, the development of GM foods is placed within the historical context of food manipulation and commercialization, along with a discussion of the key ethical debates associated with both GM foods and the broader food production system of which they are a part. The chapter concludes with a call for more deliberation and dialogue in the development of food policy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document