Consumer response to novel agri-food technologies: Implications for predicting consumer acceptance of emerging food technologies.
TL;DR: A review of studies of seven food-related technologies associated with different levels of public acceptance suggests that those characterised as being "bioactive" raise particular concerns -related to unpredictable effects, uncontrolled use, and ethical concerns as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The issue of consumer acceptance of food technologies, and their applications, needs to be addressed early in technology development. However, whether extensive assessment of consumer acceptance is necessary for all food-related technologies a priori is uncertain. A review of studies of seven food-related technologies associated with different levels of public acceptance suggests that those characterised as being ‘bioactive’ raise particular concerns - related to unpredictable effects, uncontrolled use, and ethical concerns. Perceptions of ‘unnaturalness’ alone are unlikely to raise a food technology to high levels of public rejection. Trust in regulation and effective labelling are also important considerations.
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TL;DR: With a growing world population and increasingly demanding consumers, the production of sufficient protein from livestock, poultry, and fish represents a serious challenge for the future, and the development of costeffective, automated mass-rearing facilities that provide a reliable, stable, and safe product is needed.
Abstract: With a growing world population and increasingly demanding consumers, the production of sufficient protein from livestock, poultry, and fish represents a serious challenge for the future. Approximately 1,900 insect species are eaten worldwide, mainly in developing countries. They constitute quality food and feed, have high feed conversion ratios, and emit low levels of greenhouse gases. Some insect species can be grown on organic side streams, reducing environmental contamination and transforming waste into high-protein feed that can replace increasingly more expensive compound feed ingredients, such as fish meal. This requires the development of costeffective, automated mass-rearing facilities that provide a reliable, stable, and safe product. In the tropics, sustainable harvesting needs to be assured and rearing practices promoted, and in general, the food resource needs to be revalorized. In the Western world, consumer acceptability will relate to pricing, perceived environmental benefits, and the development of tasty insect-derived protein products.
1,085 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors classify food waste sources and high-added value ingredients prior to exploring the recovery stages, conventional and emerging technologies applied from the raw material to the final or encapsulated product.
Abstract: Food wastes are today considered as a cheap source of valuable components since the existent technologies allow the recovery of target compounds and their recycling inside food chain as functional additives in different products. The goal of the current article is to classify food waste sources and high-added value ingredients prior to exploring the recovery stages, conventional and emerging technologies applied from the raw material to the final or encapsulated product. Safety and cost aspects were discussed, too, while a survey of patented methodologies leading to real products was listed, with a final purpose of discussing the prevalent problems that restrict the commercialization of similar procedures.
961 citations
TL;DR: Results show that while 'health' is a major consumer motive, a broad diversity of drivers influence the clean label trend with particular relevance of intrinsic or extrinsic product characteristics and socio-cultural factors, however, 'free from' artificial additives/ingredients food products tend to differ from organic and natural products.
557 citations
Cites background from "Consumer response to novel agri-foo..."
...34 In addition, they need to regain greater consumer trust in regulations and food production processes (Frewer et al., 2011) in response to the factors underlying the clean label trend....
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...…factors impact the clean label trend, and thus need to be prepared to take the diversity of these drivers into account in developing new products (Frewer et al., 2011; Van Kleef, Van Trijp, & Luning, 2005) as well as in the communication and positioning of the products in the market for clean…...
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...In addition, they need to regain greater consumer trust in regulations and food production processes (Frewer et al., 2011) in response to the factors underlying the clean label trend....
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...Firstly, food manufacturers should expect that a diversity of factors impact the clean label trend, and thus need to be prepared to take the diversity of these drivers into account in developing new products (Frewer et al., 2011; Van Kleef, Van Trijp, & Luning, 2005) as well as in the communication and positioning of the products in the market for clean label food....
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TL;DR: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess research relevant to understanding consumer and societal attitudes to genetic modification applied to agri-food production as mentioned in this paper, with the objective of comparing attitudes in different global regions, at different times and between applications.
Abstract: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess research relevant to understanding consumer and societal attitudes to genetic modification applied to agri-food production. The objective was to compare attitudes in different global regions, at different times and between applications. Seventy articles were included in the final meta-analysis. Plant-related or “general” applications were more acceptable than animal-related applications. Risk perceptions were greater in Europe than North America and Asia. The reverse was true of benefit perceptions. Moral concerns are higher in North America and Asia. Both risk and benefit perceptions increased with time.
296 citations
TL;DR: Consumers saw few direct personal benefits but they were more open to perceiving global societal benefits relating to the environment and global food security, and concern about risk governance and control and need for regulation and proper labeling.
245 citations
Cites background from "Consumer response to novel agri-foo..."
...Furthermore, the importance of involving the public and consumers early in the development process has been stressed as a determinant of future technology acceptance (Frewer et al., 2011) and successful food product development (Grunert, Verbeke, Kügler, Saeed, & Scholderer, 2011)....
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...It is likely that future consumer understanding of cultured meat will be underpinned by considerations of science and of what is ‘natural’, as studies on consumer reactions to agro-food technologies have often indicated (e.g. Frewer et al., 2011; Siegrist, 2008)....
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...This corresponds with Frewer et al. (2011) who concluded that those technologies characterized as having a bioactive component (which is the case with cultured meat) raise particular concerns among people....
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References
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TL;DR: Results of older bio-kinetic studies with NSPs and newer epidemiologic and toxicologic studies with airborne ultrafine particles can be viewed as the basis for the expanding field of nanotoxicology, which can be defined as safety evaluation of engineered nanostructures and nanodevices.
Abstract: Although humans have been exposed to airborne nanosized particles (NSPs; < 100 nm) throughout their evolutionary stages, such exposure has increased dramatically over the last century due to anthropogenic sources. The rapidly developing field of nanotechnology is likely to become yet another source through inhalation, ingestion, skin uptake, and injection of engineered nanomaterials. Information about safety and potential hazards is urgently needed. Results of older bio-kinetic studies with NSPs and newer epidemiologic and toxicologic studies with airborne ultrafine particles can be viewed as the basis for the expanding field of nanotoxicology, which can be defined as safety evaluation of engineered nanostructures and nanodevices. Collectively, some emerging concepts of nanotoxicology can be identified from the results of these studies. When inhaled, specific sizes of NSPs are efficiently deposited by diffusional mechanisms in all regions of the respiratory tract. The small size facilitates uptake into cells and transcytosis across epithelial and endothelial cells into the blood and lymph circulation to reach potentially sensitive target sites such as bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and heart. Access to the central nervous system and ganglia via translocation along axons and dendrites of neurons has also been observed. NSPs penetrating the skin distribute via uptake into lymphatic channels. Endocytosis and biokinetics are largely dependent on NSP surface chemistry (coating) and in vivo surface modifications. The greater surface area per mass compared with larger-sized particles of the same chemistry renders NSPs more active biologically. This activity includes a potential for inflammatory and pro-oxidant, but also antioxidant, activity, which can explain early findings showing mixed results in terms of toxicity of NSPs to environmentally relevant species. Evidence of mitochondrial distribution and oxidative stress response after NSP endocytosis points to a need for basic research on their interactions with subcellular structures. Additional considerations for assessing safety of engineered NSPs include careful selections of appropriate and relevant doses/concentrations, the likelihood of increased effects in a compromised organism, and also the benefits of possible desirable effects. An interdisciplinary team approach (e.g., toxicology, materials science, medicine, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, to name a few) is mandatory for nanotoxicology research to arrive at an appropriate risk assessment.
7,092 citations
TL;DR: The Institute of Food Technologists has issued a Scientific Status Summary to update readers on the applications of nanotechnology in the food industry as discussed by the authors, which can be found in this issue.
Abstract: The Institute of Food Technologists has issued this Scientific Status Summary to update readers on the applications of nanotechnology in the food industry.
969 citations
TL;DR: Applied wisely, nutrigenomics will allow effective dietary-intervention strategies to recover normal homeostasis and to prevent diet-related diseases.
Abstract: Nutrigenomics is the application of high-throughput genomics tools in nutrition research. Applied wisely, it will promote an increased understanding of how nutrition influences metabolic pathways and homeostatic control, how this regulation is disturbed in the early phase of a diet-related disease and to what extent individual sensitizing genotypes contribute to such diseases. Ultimately, nutrigenomics will allow effective dietary-intervention strategies to recover normal homeostasis and to prevent diet-related diseases.
616 citations
"Consumer response to novel agri-foo..." refers background in this paper
...Applications of nutrigenomics are now reaching the commercialisation stage (Muller & Kersten, 2003)....
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TL;DR: The authors report data from the first representative national phone survey of Americans' perceptions about nanotechnology (N =1536). And they report that the most preferred potential benefit of nanotechnology is new and better ways to detect and treat human diseases, and they identified "losing personal privacy to tiny new surveillance devices" as the most important potential risk to avoid.
Abstract: We report data from the first representative national phone survey of Americans' perceptions about nanotechnology (N =1536). Public opinion about nanotechnology is in its infancy, and knowledge about it is quite limited. Yet, Americans' initial reaction to nanotechnology is thus far generally positive, probably rooted in a generally positive view of science overall. Survey respondents expected benefits of nanotechnology to be more prevalent than risks, and they reported feeling hopeful about nanotechnology rather than worried. Their most preferred potential benefit of nanotechnology is “new and better ways to detect and treat human diseases,” and they identified “losing personal privacy to tiny new surveillance devices” as the most important potential risk to avoid. The most discouraging aspect to the data is respondents' lack of trust in business leaders to minimize nanotechnology risks to human health. Overall, these data indicate that while Americans do not necessarily presume benefits and the absence of risks, their outlook is much more positive than not.
511 citations
"Consumer response to novel agri-foo..." refers background in this paper
...Early studies in the US and Canada found that nanotechnology was perceived by consumers in a more positive light (Cobb & Macoubrie, 2004; Priest, 2006), as less risky and more beneficial than GM (Currall, King, Lane, Madera, & Turner, 2006), although food-related applications in general are viewed…...
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...…2006), as less risky and more beneficial than GM (Currall, King, Lane, Madera, & Turner, 2006), although food-related applications in general are viewed less positively, or at least differently, to other areas of application (Cobb & Macoubrie, 2004; Siegrist, Cousin, Kastenholz, & Wiek, 2007)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a set of search tools and a limited number of comprehensive key words to identify the determinants of the valuation of GM foods and formulate some policy strategies to deal with public uncertainly regarding to GMOs and especially GM food.
507 citations