by Al Skogen
Joint NAWG/U.S. Wheat Associates Biotechnology Committee Chairman

The NAWG/U.S. Wheat Joint Biotech Committee recently passed resolutions to encourage a dialogue designed to step up wheat trait development while recognizing that parallel, ongoing consumer education is very important.

The 2006 results of a long-running consumer survey conducted by Congent Research for the International Food Information Council suggest consumers are generally comfortable with biotechnology derived foods.

This survey was the 11th in a series of quantitative assessments by the IFIC since 1997 evaluating U.S. consumer attitudes toward biotech in food. Key points in the latest survey included:

• Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of consumers said they are confident in the safety of the U.S. food supply. When prompted to indicate food safety concerns, 36 percent mention microbial food borne illness and 35 percent mentioned improper handling, while only 3 percent cited food biotechnology.
• Although almost 60 percent reported avoiding some type of food or food ingredient, none mentioned biotech foods as something they are avoiding. When asked directly, only 2 percent said they have changed their consumption behavior due to concerns about food biotechnology.
• The survey found that, in general, likelihood to purchase biotech foods increases as awareness increases. Learning of the benefits of biotech foods has a significant impact on consumers’ likelihood to buy, particularly for a health benefit (77 percent likely to buy for increased omega-3 fatty acid content and 75 percent for reduced saturated fat content) or insect protection/pesticide reduction (75 percent), but also for improved taste or freshness (63 percent).

The IFIC points out that “there is a clear need for science-based information about the subject. This information should be conveyed clearly and accurately to the public, using understandable language and providing contextual information.”

As a farmer and food producer, I couldn’t agree more. Overwhelming research has concluded that this technology is absolutely safe for consumers and beneficial to the environment.
Consumer education is the key to taking advantage of the benefits crop biotechnology can provide both to growers and those who eat their products. And, since much of the resistance to biotechnology’s use in wheat has been a fear of what consumers would buy or not buy, NAWG and U.S. Wheat are working to inform audiences at home and abroad about the benefits of biotech.

In January, the NAWG/U.S. Wheat committee agreed on two motions that, if approved by both Boards, will serve as the next steps toward achieving biotech wheat.

The first motion instructs NAWG and U.S. Wheat leadership and staff to meet as soon as possible with Australian and Canadian wheat growers regarding the development of a time line for the release and commercialization of biotech wheat. The second instructs NAWG and U.S. Wheat leadership and staff to reach out to all trait developers and initiate a dialogue to encourage the research, development and commercialization of biotech wheat.

As a grower, I know that what consumers want most is a safe, abundant and affordable food supply, produced while enhancing the environment. Crop biotechnology offers the greatest opportunity in the history of modern agriculture to do just that and the wheat industry MUST position itself to participate in that biotechnology opportunity.

Al Skogen is a wheat farmer in Valley City, N.D.

Full survey methodology, findings, and conclusions can be found online at: http://ific.org/research/biotechres.cfm