Awareness of plant breeding
As a means of validating Canadians’ basic information about Canada’s food system, the first survey asked Canadians about various plant breeding technologies, finding that 69% are slightly, or not at all, familiar with plant breeding terms. Probing this topic further, the second survey asked about their specific knowledge on methods of plant breeding. Ninety-one percent of Canadians have either never heard of mutagenesis or possess very little awareness (Fig. 1). Mutagenesis plant breeding technologies originated in the 1930s and have over 80 years of global application to the development of new field crop and vegetable varieties. Mutagenic breeding exposes plant seeds to chemicals or radiation, which are then grown to determine what genetic changes have occurred (Friedberg et al. 2006). Mutagenesis, as a result, is commonly referred to as conventional plant breeding.
Similarly, hybrid breeding whose use dates back to the 1950s, is not well recognized, with 59% indicating they know little or nothing about it. The use of hybrid breeding in flower varieties, especially roses and fruit trees, dates back even further. Marker assisted breeding has been commonly used in recent decades, yet has very limited awareness. Gene editing, a technology developed in the past decade shows higher levels of awareness than older technologies. The most significant takeaway message from Fig. 1 is that 67% of Canadians know very little about the basic term ‘new plant varieties’, which would include those plants labelled as biofortified, drought resistant, chemical tolerant, etc. The only breeding method to have over 50% awareness is genetic modification. These results align with those reported by the PEW Research Center (2015), where public awareness of some agricultural technologies is low.
The second survey identified that Canadians possess little to no awareness of how varieties of crops, fruits, and vegetables are developed, which could be contributing to their uncertainty about the direction Canada’s food system is headed, as identified by the CCFI. The CCFI (2019) identified that 91% of Canadians self-identified that they know little to nothing about modern agricultural practices. This also aligns with results reported by McFadden and Lusk (2016) regarding consumer awareness. In large part, this is because scientific publications about plant breeding are virtually inaccessible to the public as scientific journals charge fees to access articles, and/or are not written with them as the intended audience. As a result, cereals and grains were the only crops to be found correlated with the level of education (p ≤ 0.001). The voice of the public sector and academic scientists are also virtually non-existent as there is a lack incentives to engage with the media or become science communicators (Ryan and Doerksen 2013). The result is a large void in the provision of trusted information for those individuals seeking it, that has to a large degree, been filled by those opposed to modern agriculture.
The first survey asked about different types of plant breeding technologies and how natural they are perceived, most participants generally perceive changes to the genetic composition of plants to not be natural at all (Fig. 2). Two-thirds of surveyed Canadians believe that the mutagenic technologies used to develop crop and vegetable varieties for decades are not at all natural. Probing this topic further, this survey found that one-third of surveyed Canadians believe that conventional plant breeding (chemical and radiation mutation breeding) does not alter a plants’ genes, when in reality, it creates randomly uncontrolled changes, with approximately 20% of desirable mutations being lost due to complications in the plant’s success rate (Oladosu et al. 2015). These findings support previous results that indicate consumers lack the knowledge and awareness about many aspects of their food production (PEW Research Center 2015; McFadden and Lusk 2016). Less than 10% of participants believe that mutagenesis, genetic modification and gene editing are natural means of breeding new crop and vegetable varieties. The combination of fully sequenced plant genomes and digital biology has created very precise, controlled plant breeding technologies that create new varieties with a small number of genetic changes, of which the Canadian public has virtually no awareness. Respondent’s low awareness and acceptance that mutations are an important means of creating new crop, fruit and vegetable varieties, suggests the public is uninformed about the natural rate of mutations from one generation of a plant species to the next. The natural rate of mutation in some species can be up to 20 genes per generation (Ulukapi and Gul Nasircilar 2018).
Genetic changes for crop and vegetable varieties is valuable for Canadian food production, especially as climate change impacts agriculture (Pew Research Center 2015); if the plants grown to produce our food do not change to adapt with the climate, less food will be produced. Identifying that Canadian consumers lack knowledge about the importance of genetic change for improved food production, suggests this lack of knowledge is a significant factor in the susceptibility that consumers have towards targeted misinformation campaigns. Activist groups that deliberately disseminate misinformation play on consumers emotions, suggesting that safe products are dangerous, ignoring the required risk assessment and approval processes that innovative crops and food are required to undergo prior to commercial production.
For all presented examples, younger participants perceived a more natural status in the methods than older participants, who also had a greater tendency to select ‘don’t know’. Statistical significance between age range and perceived naturalness is seen in crossbreeding (p ≤ 0.050), chemical mutations (p ≤ 0.010), gene insertion from other species (p ≤ 0.050), and precise gene changes (p ≤ 0.010). Regardless of the truth in how ‘natural’ plant breeding techniques are, by fitting information distribution of agricultural processes to the preferences of older Canadians, opinions of used techniques may become more positive or, at the very least, may hold the potential for formed opinions to be based off a larger scope of understanding.
The first survey asked participants to agree or disagree with statements regarding potential consequences of modern plant breeding (Fig. 3). The majority (59%) believe that new breeding techniques will result in more affordably priced food. Over one-third of participants agree that modern plant breeding can lead to sustainable agricultural practices that are good for the environment, compared to 26% who disagree. This is contrasted with the finding that 42% believe that modern plant breeding will create more environmental problems. When asked if these technologies are a risk for their health, 33% disagreed, while 30% agree. One thing that stands out in the results of this question was the level of unwillingness to respond to the statements. Respondents that answered either ‘don’t know’ or ‘neither agree nor disagree’ account for between 28 and 40%.
Two-thirds of Canadians in survey one express confidence in the food safety system, indicating the majority of total consumers are confident the food products they routinely purchase will not cause harm to them or their family. While participants expressed confidence in the safety of the food products they are purchasing, when asked about the technologies used to provide these food products, it is revealed that Canadians are less confident.
Public trust in food information
If the public does not trust the food they eat, this can be viewed as a failure in the system, whether it is the actual safety of the food or a failure to publicly communicate the safety of the system. The first survey asked participants about their level of trust in a series of food information providers, finding scientists, health professionals and farmers at 76%, 74% and 73%, respectively, rank the highest as either completely trusted or trusted sources (Fig. 4). These findings are representative of the CCFI (2017) that indicate the public places a high level of trust in farmers. Of these highly trusted groups, farmers were the only ones with a significant correlation with education (p ≤ 0.050), such that those with a higher level of education are more receptive to agricultural information from farmers. Additional interesting observations are that traditional media sources are not well trusted, with 36% saying they completely distrust, compared to 17% who do trust. Environmental organizations have a surprising level of distrust, with 26% saying they completely distrust compared to 43% who do trust. Friends, family, colleagues and consumer organizations are trusted by nearly half of the respondents as responsible sources of food information. Governments are additionally recognized by exactly half of the respondents as a trusted source of information.
As has been confirmed in other studies (CCFI 2019), trust in the industry is exceptionally low, with trust levels in agricultural companies of 14% and retailers at 12%. Distrust in these sources is far higher, revealing that consumers are as skeptical of food processing firms as they are of agricultural chemical companies. The level of distrust in retail firms is surprising, given the vast sum that these firms have spent on marketing themselves to the Canadian public in the past several years. This result is also of interest as consumers interact with retail stores on a weekly basis, which raises the question of why consumers have a high level of distrust in something that is such a routine part of their food purchase habits.
One aspect of food safety that was investigated in the first survey was whether the public pays attention to news stories that relate to food, food safety or the science and technology of food products. Survey respondents indicated that media stories relating to food safety issues are most often paid attention to, with 89% saying they often or sometimes pay attention to such stories (Fig. 5). Clearly, Canadians take food safety very seriously, with nine out of ten expressing that this information is to some degree, important to them. Media stories about science and technology regarding food production are also news items that are listen to or watched, with 85% indicating they sometimes or often listen or watch. Those indicating they watch documentaries or videos about food are also a common part of what Canadians tune into, with 79% indicating they listen to or watch these. Observed here is a correlation with the level of education, wherein as education increases, so, too, does attention paid to documentaries (p ≤ 0.050). Over the past 10–15 years, numerous documentaries have been produced that were critical of the food industry, however, in the past several years, documentaries presenting a more scientific perspective are being shown (CAST 2020). Stories and advertising in social media outlets are the least likely to have a serious impact on participants, with the highest percentage of participants unable to recall (10%) and 28% rarely paying attention. A correlation with education is also seen with this media source (p ≤ 0.001).
Overall, surveyed Canadians express trust in the food system, especially when the information is provided by those viewed as experts, such as scientists, health professionals and farmers. Additionally, respondents identify that they have considerable interest in, and pay attention to, stories relating to food or the science and technologies regarding food production. Upon further analysis, the responses to frequency of attention paid to food-related news are influenced by the age of the respondent, with older participants more concerned with the science and technology aspect of media reporting (p ≤ 0.050) and younger participants valuing the ease of social media as a platform (p ≤ 0.010). This data could serve as a starting point to correcting the lack of information between the agriculture industry and the public, by taking advantage of the media sources consumers’ value for food-related reporting and tailoring that information to those demographics who perceive in it the most value.
Uncertainties about food production
While surveyed Canadians show high levels of confidence in food safety, they are seeking additional information about a multitude of effects from food production. Canadian participants in the second survey indicate they are interested in how their food is produced but express high levels of uncertainty about many potential positive and negative impacts of their food production (Fig. 6). These results reflect those of Vecchione et al. (2015), in that when presented with benefits of new technologies, some will receive strong public support. Respondents indicate confidence that new breeding techniques would result in an increase in productivity, with 73% either agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement. Contrasting this is that 51% of the respondents believe that new breeding techniques would lead to a loss of biodiversity, compared to only 28% that disagree. This reflects results in Fig. 3, where respondents identified increased adverse environmental impacts as a potential outcome of modern plant breeding techniques. Reductions in chemical residues in food were viewed as a potential benefit by 29%, yet 24% disagree or strongly disagree with the statement. One-third of respondents disagreed that consumers do not benefit, which was equal to those who agree with the statement. It should be noted that, in the case of all the listed outcomes, consumers were asked how much they agree with the statements, and the exact wording of the statement observed in Fig. 6. As a result, there is a possibility for directional bias for those that appear more positive with the question structure presented.
The main benefit that consumers believe they are receiving from innovative breeding technologies is lower food prices. An analysis of the share of benefits that consumers receive from GM crops, reveals that 20% of the total benefits are received by consumers (Smyth et al. 2015). Other plant breeding benefits include new crops with higher nutritional content, such as increased proteins in crops like potato, rice and wheat or better fatty acids in canola, cotton and corn (Newell-McGloughlin 2014). Additional food nutritional research is focused on improving essential amino acids, carbohydrates, micronutrients, vitamins and mineral availability.
Other statements about potential benefits or potential adverse effects exhibit higher levels of uncertainty as a striking observation in Fig. 6 is the significant percentage of respondents that did not express an opinion on potential positive or negative impacts. Combining those that selected ‘neither disagree nor agree’ with ‘don’t know’ resulted in the majority of responses in some options, such as whether tillage will be reduced (53%) or impacts on bee populations (49%).
Of the examples of possible effects listed above, male participants had a greater tendency to agree with the presented benefits and disagree with risks than women (the exception to this above seen in regards to the potential biodiversity loss). While part of this significance could be attributed to the phrasing of the questions (i.e. participants could be reacting positively to a question that forces them to consider a positive outcome), providing consumers with information regarding food production that is better fitted to the preferences of women in regards to causative effects of the technology used, may serve to alter attitudes toward biotechnology as a whole.