ABSTRACT

The Japanese Health Ministry recently granted permission for the market distribution of genome-edited (GE) foods, yet there remains a lack of full understanding among consumers regarding this technology. In this study, we conducted a survey to assess the acceptability of GE foods among Japanese consumers and examined the impact of providing information about GE foods on their acceptability. We conducted a web-based survey among 3,408 consumers aged 20–69 years, focusing on three aspects: (1) the commercial availability of GE foods, (2) the consumption of GE foods by others, and (3) your own consumption of GE foods. The survey findings revealed that participants were most accepting of the consumption of GE foods by others, followed by their acceptance of GE foods being commercially available. Notably, participants’ acceptance of GE foods increased in all three aspects after they viewed an informative video. The video had a particularly strong impact on participants who fully or partially understood its content, compared to those who did not. Furthermore, regression analyses showed that participants’ understanding of two key areas, namely “Why are GE foods important” and “What procedures are in place to ensure the safety of GE foods,” played a crucial role in increasing acceptability. Overall, these results indicate that providing information about GE foods to Japanese consumers can effectively enhance their acceptance of such foods. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the benefits and safety measures associated with GE foods in influencing consumer attitudes.

摘要

日本厚生劳动省最近批准了基因组编辑（GE）食品的市场销售，但消费者对这项技术仍缺乏充分了解。在这项研究中，我们进行了一项调查，以评估日本消费者对转基因食品的接受程度，并研究了提供有关转基因食品的信息对其接受程度的影响。我们对 3,408 名 20-69 岁的消费者进行了一项网络调查，重点关注三个方面：(1) 转基因食品的商业供应情况；(2) 其他人对转基因食品的消费情况；(3) 您自己对转基因食品的消费情况基因工程食品。调查结果显示，参与者最接受其他人食用转基因食品，其次是接受商业化的转基因食品。值得注意的是，在观看内容丰富的视频后，参与者对转基因食品的接受度在所有三个方面都有所提高。与那些不理解其内容的参与者相比，该视频对完全或部分理解其内容的参与者产生了特别强烈的影响。此外，回归分析表明，参与者对两个关键领域的理解，即“为什么转基因食品很重要”和“有哪些程序来确保转基因食品的安全”，在提高可接受性方面发挥了至关重要的作用。总体而言，这些结果表明，向日本消费者提供有关转基因食品的信息可以有效提高他们对此类食品的接受度。研究结果强调了了解与转基因食品相关的益处和安全措施对于影响消费者态度的重要性。