Stakeholder positions toward GM food: The case of vitamin A biofortified cassava in Brazil

Abstract

This article examines the factors that affect stakeholders' positions toward genetically modified (GM) crops in Brazil, both in general and in the case of GM cassava in particular. Perceptions about the benefits of second-generation GM crops that have direct benefits for consumer are analyzed, and the tradeoffs that stakeholders make between the advantages of GM crops in terms of food quality and their potential risks in other areas as the environment are assessed. Using the Multiple Correspondence Analysis and cluster approaches, it was revealed that most of the stakeholders have positive attitudes toward GM crops. A high percentage agrees with the introduction of a GM cassava; however, a significant number of stakeholders are against this introduction because Brazil has other nutritional sources to combat Vitamin A deficiency. In addition, the country is a center of origin and diversity for cassava, which increases potential environmental risk associated with GMO release.