Americans Still Iffy on Genetically Modified Foods
NEW YORK - American consumers still don't know much about genetically modified food, according to a poll released by the non-partisan Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology and reported in USA Today.
The majority of Americans, 48 percent, are against the introduction of genetically modified foods into the food supply, with about one-quarter of those polled in favor of it. Opposition has declined from 58 percent from when the poll was first conducted two years ago.
Opinions about the safety of genetically modified foods haven't budged much, with only 27 percent saying the foods are basically safe, and 25 percent saying the foods are unsafe. However, when told that up to 80 percent of processed foods sold in the U.S., including most products sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, contain genetically modified ingredients, attitudes changed, with 44 percent saying they are safe and 20 percent saying they are unsafe.
The majority of Americans, 48 percent, are against the introduction of genetically modified foods into the food supply, with about one-quarter of those polled in favor of it. Opposition has declined from 58 percent from when the poll was first conducted two years ago.
Opinions about the safety of genetically modified foods haven't budged much, with only 27 percent saying the foods are basically safe, and 25 percent saying the foods are unsafe. However, when told that up to 80 percent of processed foods sold in the U.S., including most products sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, contain genetically modified ingredients, attitudes changed, with 44 percent saying they are safe and 20 percent saying they are unsafe.