New Value-Added Biotech Foods: What Do Consumers Think and Want? Gregory Jaffe Director, Biotechnology Project Center for Science in the Public Interest September 16, 2003.

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Food and nutrition consumer organization. Nutrition Action Healthletter. No government or industry funding.

CSPI’s Biotechnology Project Purpose – Identifying benefits and risks – Establishing strong regulatory systems in US and abroad – Educating and informing the public Positions – Current crops in US appear safe to eat and environmental risks are manageable – Some benefits from current crops – Future products need to be assessed individually – Regulatory systems in US and abroad need strengthening to address next generation of products

Consumers and Biotech Foods Safe Food Safe Environment Personal Benefits Education and Information Truthfulness

Safe Food New foods tested before marketed Independent agency determination that food is safe Mandatory regulatory system Government oversight of companies marketing the new food Equity in treatment of products

Safe Environment Americans care about environment Government needs to ensure that new biotech foods don’t harm environment

Personal Benefits Maximize benefit while minimizing risk – First on personal level – Then on societal level No activity is without any risk

Current Biotech Products Bt cotton Bt corn Roundup Ready soybeans, corn, and canola Virus resistant papayas and squash – Personal benefits to farmers and societal benefits (from environmental advantages)

What consumers would consider a benefit Economic -- less costly food Consumption traits – taste, look, etc… Nutritional qualities – healthier foods Greater variety – new foods – None of the biotech foods to date has any of these qualities.

Future Biotech Products High lycopene tomatoes High oleic oil Fast growing salmon Iron-rich rice Allergin-free peanuts Firmer fruit ?????

Products consumers might want Better tasting tomato Melons that don’t rot so quickly Corn Flakes that cost half the price Inexpensive fruit Ice cream without cholesterol

A disconnect Developers are not listening to what consumers want? Science cannot achieve what consumers would want? What consumers want will not provide a sufficient rate of return for private companies? Public sector is not working on consumer beneficial products?

The Bottom Line Prediction: There will be no value-added biotech foods marketed in the US in next five years.

Education and Information Need education on biotechnology Need education on agriculture Need education on the food we currently eat Need information about the benefits of the biotech foods Need to know which specific foods are biotech

Truthfulness (not misleading) Claims must be standardized – What is “high”? Need a baseline for comparison How much above baseline – 1%, 5%, 100% – How much of value-added ingredient must be used? Must you use all GE tomatoes? – How to ensure claims are valid? Documentation, inspections, testing?

Gregory Jaffe Director CSPI Biotechnology Project Website: ex.html ex.html address: