Consumers divided on GM foods, poll finds

If there’s one clear finding that emerges from a new study on genetically modified food in Canada, it’s that Canadians are confused about it.

A survey of consumer attitudes about genetic engineering plantbased and animal-based foods released Thursday finds that most Canadians — 56.3 per cent — believe genetically modified (GM) food is thoroughly tested before it reaches consumers, compared with just 16 per cent who disagree. But Canadians are deeply divided on the safety of genetically modified plants, animals and food products, according to new data from Dalhousie University.

The survey of 1,049 Canadians found that 37.7 per cent believe GM food is safe to consume, while 34.7 per cent believe it is not safe to eat and 27.6 didn’t have an opinion on its safety. Thirty-five per cent of those surveyed said the health effects of GM food are fully understood, while 44 per cent said they disagreed.

People were the least clear about what they are buying from the supermarket. While 28.4 per cent of respondents said they had bought a plant-based GM food in the past, 19.4 per cent say they had not, and 52.2 per cent said they were not sure if they had or hadn’t. When it came to genetically modified animals, the uncertainty level was even higher, at 55.5 per cent.

That’s despite the fact that 90 per cent of all crops grown in Canada are genetically modified and an estimated 75 to 85 per cent of the food for sale has at least one GM ingredient, said Sylvain Charlebois, dean of management at Dalhousie University and lead author of the study. “The likelihood that you have never eaten something genetically modified is very low.”

Charlebois believes consumers’ confusion about bioengineered food is likely because labelling of GM products and ingredients is not mandatory in Canada.

In Europe, where consumers have been more wary about genetic modification of plants and animals, European Union legislation requires food with more than 0.9 per cent of GM ingredients to be labelled as such in retail stores.

“People who are supportive of biotechnology would argue that there is little risk (from GM food), and it’s true — from a food safety perspective, the science is very clear,” said Charlebois, who believes GM food should nevertheless be labelled.

The survey found that 88.6 per cent of respondents said GMO food and ingredients should be labelled as such in Canada.