Most French are pro-GM - genetically modified agricultural products - Brief Article

Eurofood, Feb 1, 2001

Two-thirds of French consumers would not be averse to foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) if items were clearly labelled. According to a study by agricultural research institute INRA, this points to a gap between the hostility expressed in French public opinion toward transgenic crops and actual purchasing behaviour.

"Are consumers prepared to buy products with a GMO logo? The response is 'yes' for many. Only 35% refuse these products," INRA said in the study. "Two-thirds of consumers accept GMOs and are prepared to buy them, and one third boycott them," said Bernard Ruffieux, a researcher who led the study. He added that consumers were more accepting of GM products as long as they were given information. The researchers said consumers saw the launch of the first generation of GMOs as "deceitful and forced," which caused initial acceptance of the products to founder. The report issued by the researchers also recommended that industry players should drop efforts to create lines of non-GM food, saying such food lines were "technically deceptive," and that French consumers consumed GM products such as cereal bars, vegetable oils and products containing starch without knowing it.