Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography

1

• Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography
• Recent New Zealand research on consumer and
  public responses to emerging food technologies

2
Overview

• Aim
• Methods
• Annotated bibliography
• Summary information
• How do the NZ public and consumers feel about
  emerging food technologies?
• How different is consumer and public
  decision-making?
• Market opportunities??

3
Aim

• Stocktake of recent New Zealand research
• Identify key trends and themes
• Understand how key issues in the social context
  may influence public responses to future food
  technology developments
• Social/market intelligence Strategy

4
Methods

• Literature search
• 1999 2009
• Keyword search through range of research
  databases
• Recommendations from advisory panel
• Grey literature, thesis, articles etc included
• Selected pre 1999 entries also included
• Annotated bibliography (138 entries)

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Annotated bibliography

• 138 entries coded by type of publication,
  institution, type of study, method
• Topic/application index to follow
• Not definitive (as at Nov 09)
• Ongoing stakeholder engagement will produce
  updated electronic resource

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Publications by Year
Royal Commission
7
Type of publication
Type N
Journal 54
Report 51
Conference paper 8
Magazine/opinion 6
Book 6
Book chapter 7
Thesis 6
Total 138
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Type of institution (authors)
Type N
University 81
CRI 27
Government 16
Private 14
Total 138
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Type of study
Type N
Public opinion 55
Governance 35
Consumer 30
Maori 13
Other (economics, industry) 5
Total 138
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Method of study
Type N
Review 55
Survey 39
Choice experiment 13
Interview/focus group 14
Multi-method 11
Modelling 3
Case study 3
Total 138
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Key themes

• A rapidly advancing technological field, an
  increasingly sophisticated public, and an
  increasingly sophisticated debate.
• NZ and international markets/consumer responses
  are volatile, complex and difficult to
  anticipate.
• Interplay of social values and consumer
  responses.

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How do the NZ public and consumers feel about
emerging food technologies?

• Pre 1999 (polling studies) low awareness, no
  strong aversion
• Royal Commission 2001 (90 IP submissions
  opposed)
• 2004 AERU survey (Cook et al.) over 50 of
  respondents concerned or very concerned about
  biotech and use of GMOs in agriculture
• 2005 (Kaye-Blake et al.) consumer study found
  41 household shoppers would not choose GE apples
  even if they were free
• Strong aversion to GM food, difficult to shift
• Early adoption of GE not rational to N.Z.ers

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Public opinion

• Royal Commission (2001) commercial crops 24
  strongly disapprove, 34 disapprove, 4
  undecided, 31 just approve, 5 strongly approve
• Small et al. (2002) GE Food - 36 totally
  opposed, 52 conditionally support, 3 totally
  supportive
• Cook Fairweather (2005) GM apples 22 very
  unacceptable, 32 unacceptable, 23 undecided,
  17 acceptable, 5 very acceptable
• Broad summary

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Some studies suggest

• Slight shift over time showing an apparent
  growing middle ground
• Recent claims that public opinion studies may
  overestimate public opposition
• More nuanced decision-making - It depends
  consideration of risks/benefits for a specific
  application

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Unpacking it depends

• Mainly drawn from oppositional
• Could reflect contingent priming/framing around
  conditional idiom

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A growing middle ground?

• Most authors regard the evidence of an increasing
  middle ground rather cautiously, and emphasise
  the volatility of consumer opinion.
• Mix of conditional factors and more resilient
  anti-GE views
• Interlocking relationship between two sets of
  values
• nature has an intrinsic value
• post materialist value sets (strong notions of
  democracy, citizenship, anti-materialism and
  cynicism toward capitalism)

17
General patterns in social acceptability

• Greater support for
• Medical
• Laboratory
• Less support for
• GM field crops
• GM animals

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Objections

• Interfering with nature
• Public and environmental safety
• Unknown consequences
• Women and Maori more likely to hold strong
  objections
• Maori objections
• Treaty of Waitangi rights to kaitiakitanga
• sanctity of whakapapa extending to flora and
  fauna

19
Support

• Males, younger people, and high income groups
• Slightly higher positive views and fascination
  for nanotech

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Whose viewpoints have been studied?

• Consumers - household shoppers, mothers,
  affluent
• Public scope expanding (initial surveys only
  professionals teachers)
• Also dedicated studies with farmers, scientists,
  Maori.
• Viewpoints of Pacific Island and other cultural
  groups under-explored
• this project will include Maori Pacific
  viewpoints (Ann Saolele)

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Comparing public and consumer studies

• Public opinion
• Social values around acceptability
• Range of scenarios
• Typically surveys
• Focus groups, workshops
• Citizenship governance
• - impacts on others, long term costs/benefits

• Consumer
• Response to product
• Changes in product attributes or price
• Often hypothetical
• Purchasing
• - impacts to self family, immediate
  costs/benefits

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Commentaries on consumer/public studies

• Public opinion surveys place respondents in the
  role of citizens, who make judgements from
  societys point of view, whereas experimental
  auctions specifically reveal consumer reactions.
  (Noussair cited in Kassardjian et al. 2005)
• Consumer studies are hypothetical,
  attitude/intention does not translate to actual
  behaviour.

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Have public opinion studies overestimated the
level of opposition?

• Consumer choice experiment actual purchase
  (Knight et al. 2005,2007)
• Conducted in 6 countries
• Roadside stall organic, spray-free GM or
  conventional fruit (Queenstown, Otago)
• At median price organic received highest market
  share
• With price discounting 60 N.Z.ers purchased
  spray-free GM, one of highest
• BUT methodological questions ie. spray-free or
  GM?

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Market opportunities??

• Two market clusters
• Lower income, respond to price discounting
• - implications for Maori
• Higher income, will pay premium for functional
  foods that deliver real benefits
• - parents of younger children, people over 50
  with health concerns, people with family disease
  history (Richards 2004)
• Paradoxically these groups (mothers, elderly,
  unwell) are also most likely to be concerned
  about GM food and food safety

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Prerequisites for acceptance

• Clear labelling
• Trust/confidence in the producers and regulatory
  authorities to manage risks
• Implications for NZ clean and green brand (-ve
  impacts on tourism)
• Co-existence of GM and non-GM

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Implications for future food investment in NZ

• Clear benefits (ie. health)
• Laboratory work, rather than field release
• Medical, rather than agricultural or food crops
• Functional foods, biopharming?
• But underlying attitudes, values, risk
  perceptions still influential