Campaign to educate public about GMOs

By MARVIN BAKER, Staff Writer mbaker@ndweb.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2005

FARGO ­ A North Dakota Farm Bureau-commissioned survey about genetically modified organisms has revealed a couple of surprises that will drive an information and education campaign starting this summer.

Jeffrey Missling, executive vice president of NDFB, said the nearly year-long study revealed that only 4 percent of people surveyed across North Dakota could positively identify GMOs, yet 78 percent said they would purchase items such as pasta that were genetically modified if vitamins and minerals were added. "You'd expect a higher percentage in a state like North Dakota," Missling said of those who are aware of GMOs. "But people are warming up to genetically modified."

As a result, NDFB's Young Farmer and Rancher Committee is starting a campaign in the Bismarck grocery stores in July to educate consumers on the benefits of GMOs, Missling said. The campaign may be expanded to other supermarkets in the state, but Bismarck is the start point because the committee will meet there in July.

"We want to keep this fresh in people's minds," Missling said. "The biggest thing overwhelmingly is people would buy biotech products if they knew they had health benefits."

Missling said committee members will ask for a couple of moments of a shopper's time to present updated information about GMOs and how they benefit society rather than hinder it.

"I'm not sure how that's going to go," Missling said. "People are there for grocery shopping, not to listen to scientists, but we'll see how it goes."

He added that committee members will also accept information if consumers are willing to provide it.

Paula Jurgens, Dickinson, chair of the Young Farmer and Rancher Committee, said the informational pieces about GMOs should help consumers make better choices for the dollars they spend.

"We will be working to communicate the facts about GMOs to North Dakota consumers," Jurgens said. "We hope that, by communicating with consumers, we can help them make more informed decisions about the food they eat."

In June 2004, researchers at North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota collaborated to produce the survey that evaluated consumers' perceptions of GMOs and biotech foods.

Missling said the effort between the two largest universities in North Dakota validated the information and proved that it was statistically correct.

A similar survey was done simultaneously by South Dakota State University with overwhelming results in favor of GMOs; however, the North Dakota and South Dakota surveys are unrelated, according to Missling.

"We talked to 407 shoppers," Missling said. "We wanted to get into the heads of consumers. We wanted to know their level of acceptance."

And because most consumers were relatively unfamiliar with GMOs, the survey focused on items that grocery store shoppers are most likely to be familiar with such as pasta and hamburger.

Interestingly enough, the study also found that consumers are less willing to accept genetically modified animals than genetically modified crops.Researchers continue to study the reasoning behind that result.

Missling said the survey results are intriguing to producers across the state when it comes to quality, shelf life and color of products from grain to grapes.

"Consumers are willing to pay more (for GMOs)," Missling said. "Right now, we're at a point where up to 70 percent of the products on grocery store shelves contain genetically modified products."

Missling said GMOs are not a new phenomenon, but educating people may be.

"GM foods, what that encompasses ­ that means just about anything," Missling said. "That survey was the first step."