Matin, Anahita Hosseini (author) and Goddard, Ellen (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2014-05
Published:
Canada
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 190 Document Number: D02727
Notes:
Paper presented at the 2014 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association joint AAEA/EAAE/CAES symposium: Social networks, social media and the economics of food, Montreal, Canada, May 29-30, 2014. 33 pages.
5 pages., Author concludes that "genetic information is easy to portray as a new and scary technology, but fearmongering is largely based on misinformation, a misunderstanding of evolution and our place in the natural world, and vague fears of contamination. In reality, GMO safety testing is extensive and has not uncovered any safety concerns for current GMOs. There are other issues with GMOs that are worth discussing, but fears of adverse health effects are not legitimate." Cites a review of research ty the European Commission in 2010: "The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies."
Examines the role of trust in shaping public knowledge about, risk perception of, and protective behaviours resulting from this product tampering incident in Xi'an, China.
