Genetically modified crops: consumer attitudes and trends in plant research in Japan

Although Japanese consumers had relatively relaxed attitudes about genetically modified (GM) food five years ago, we now find that Japanese consumer acceptance has changed dramatically. Our survey utilized a postal questionnaire to a random sample of 200 Japanese consumers living in Miyazaki Prefecture and 150 Japanese plant breeding researchers. Results showed that Japanese consumers had become uneasy about the potential health risks of genetically modified foods. This issue is likely to be ethically motivated rather than scientific. Of the 106 responding Japanese plant breeding researchers, 77 (72.6%) said it was necessary to develop GM crops. The major reason being to overcome future food security problems. Most researchers thought the way to improve consumer acceptance was ‘To broadcast correct information through the mass media’ (73.6%).