Strategic approaches to communicating with food consumers about genetically modified food

Abstract The use of genetically modified (GM) crops for food production is rising. This study surveyed consumers in the Republic of Korea to obtain general insights into their perceptions, knowledge, and use of GM crop-based food, their needs for information about GM foods, their GM food-purchasing intentions, their usual food-purchasing habits, and whether there are groups with particular demographic profiles and stances on GM foods that would benefit most from well-designed public education programs. In total, 1096 adults in the Republic of Korea underwent face-to-face interviews in 2017. The cohort composition was based on recent population data. Only 5.8% had a positive stance on GM foods, while 58.8% perceived GM foods as being risky to human health. While 50.3% thought that they were somewhat to very knowledgeable about GM organisms (GMO), their actual knowledge was low ( p