Over half of U.S. consumers express some level of concern about genetically modified organisms.
December 19/Chicago/PRWEB -- Over half of U.S. consumers express some level of concern about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), but when asked to describe GMOs, many primary grocery shoppers are unclear and reiterate that it’s genetically altered sometimes in a favorable way while at other times in an unfavorable way, according to recently released food market research by The NPD Group.
Genetic modification is defined by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as “the production of heritable improvements in plants or animals for specific uses, via either genetic engineering or other more traditional methods.” The NPD study entitled "Gauging GMO Awareness and Impact" asked consumers to tell, in their own words, what the term GMOs means and the answers were diverse. Common words used to describe GMOS from consumers were “genetically altered,” “not natural,” and many consumers say “don’t know.” Some 44% of consumers say GMOs have some kind of benefit, yet at the same time, a higher percentage has some level of concern.