HOW THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN FOOD PRODUCTION AFFECT CONSUMER CHOICE?

Abstract

Over the years, improved techniques for production and processing of food have resulted in the expansion of our food supply byprolonging keeping times, preventing spoilage and increasing the variety of food products available. The use of new technologies infood production has potential benefits for both food manufactures and consumers. But one of the question raising is how consumersreact to the new technologies and how does it impact their choice to buy or not to buy such kind of food. This article examines howthe new technologies in food production (genetic engineering, nanotechnologies, cloning) affect consumer choice to purchase foodobtained through these technologies. Different literature and scientific data available were summarized to find out the main reasonswhat affect consumers’ attitude towards new technologies in food production. Results suggest that the willingness to consume foodobtained with help of new technologies is directly influenced by the risk consumers perceive and the perception of risk is more directthan the perception of supposed benefits. KEY WORDS: consumer attitude, cloning, GMO, nanotechnology, new technologies. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/rfds.v9i1.589