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Across Europe, consumers have rejected GMO foods and
public concern over these products remains high. The latest
Eurobarometer opinion poll published by
the European Commission in December 2001 showed that 94.6% EU citizens
want the right to choose, 85.9% want to know more before eating GMOs,
and 70.9% simply do not want GM food.
(see
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/press/2001/pr0612en-report.pdf)
Find out what people in your country think:
Austria
In April 1997, 1.2 million Austrians (a quarter of the electorate)
called for a ban of GM in agriculture and foods.
Croatia
In a 1999 survey (of 500 people), 16% thought that GMOs were a good
thing, 44% were against the technology. 53% would not eat GM food.
A
poll carried out in January 2002 revealed that 75.5% of Croats did not
want to eat GMOs; 3.1% said they did want to, 5.2% did not know.
80.7% supported a draft GMO law (to ban GMOs), 8.4% did not support a
ban, and 10.9% did not know.
Czech Republic
In April 2000, an opinion poll conducted for the Czech Television and
Broadcasting companies showed 87% of men and 93% of women wished to
have GM food visibly labelled.
In
November 2000, a survey by a Czech newspaper revealed that 99% of
consumers did not want GM food to be sold in the Czech Republic.
Denmark
In 1998, a poll revealed that the majority of Danes were against GM
food.
In
November 2000, the Nordic Industrial Fund carried out a survey in
Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden on GM foods and applications of
genetic modification. The survey found that it was regarded as a
major benefit in itself that a product is non-GM. When a product
involved genetic modification, this elicited numerous negative
associations, mainly “unhealthy” and “uncertainty”.
Finland
See ‘Denmark’ second paragraph.
France
In a poll in November 1999, more than half of French people had
serious reservations about the use of GMOs and 91% said that
information about them was inadequate. 24% were against GMOs and said
that cultivation of GM crops should be forbidden in France.
Germany
According to an opinion poll in October 2000, only 34% of Germans
thought that genetic engineering was useful in agriculture and the
food industry.
Greece
In a seminar held in November 2000, it was revealed by BEUC (European
Consumers’ Association) that since 1996, consumer resistance to GMOs
had increased by a staggering 80%.
Italy
In March 2001, a poll carried out by People Swg (for the Ministry of
Agriculture) found that 67% of people were against the use of GMOs in
agricultural production; 75% thought legislation on food safety was
inadequate; 4 out of 5 would spend more to get healthier food.
The Netherlands
In June 2001, a poll by the University of Twente indicated that 65% of
Dutch people rejected GM foods (an increase from 52% in the last
poll).
Also in 2001, the government commissioned a “broad societal debate” on
GM and food. The Terlouw Committee which executed this survey
reported in early 2002 that “the general impression is that the public
takes a very reserved stance on GM in food. The usefulness is
doubted, the risks are feared and alternatives are being asked for”.
69% of Dutch people who took part in the survey (through newspaper
adverts) stated that they found the use of GM in food “unwanted”. 43%
of respondents did not want to allow GM foods at all. Less than 6%
were satisfied with the current labelling regime according to present
EU and Dutch law. More than 80% thought that labelling should go
further than the present situation. 64.5% were of the opinion that in
the Netherlands, labelling should be as strong as possible so that the
consumer can be absolutely certain that he/she buys products
containing no GM ingredients.
31% would allow GM crops to be grown only after their effects on
nature and the environment were known, after many years of research.
Norway
See ‘Denmark’ second paragraph.
Poland
In a poll carried out in May 2000, 89% of respondents said that GM
food should be additionally labelled.
Slovakia
In an opinion poll commissioned by Greenpeace Slovakia in September
2001, 70% of respondents said they would prefer natural food to
genetically modified food. Also, 74% said that food containing
GM ingredients should be clearly marked.
Spain
A
survey carried out between March and April 2001, by the Center of
Investigaciones Sociologicas (CIS) revealed that 53% of the public
thought that advances in biotechnology (including genetic engineering)
were dangerous to the environment; 49% thought they were dangerous to
humans.
When asked about the use of genetic engineering in agriculture and
food production, 50% of Spaniards were opposed. Only 26% supported
the technique. 63% said that they would not eat a potato with maize
genes; 27% did not mind. For labelling of GM food, 92% thought that
it should be obligatory to specify in the label if a nutritional
product is genetically modified.
Sweden
See ‘Denmark’ second paragraph.
UK
In January 2001, according to a Welsh Consumer Council report, 47% of
consumers avoided buying GM food. However, people were less worried
about the introduction of GM food into supermarkets than they were in
1999.
An
NOP poll in April 2001 found that 48% of British people would eat GM
foods, but 44% still refused. Only 20% felt that it was significantly
less safe. In the previous year, 50% rejected GM food while 46% would
eat it.
In
September 2001, a study by the National Consumer Council showed that
80% of British consumers believed that meat from animals fed with GM
feed should be clearly labelled. 42% wanted to see zero GM
contamination of foods and almost two thirds (64%) said it was
important that all foods containing any amount of GM ingredients
should be labelled as such.
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