Performing Department
Experiment Station
Non Technical Summary
Some food crops have been genetically modified to confer disease or pest resistance, improve yields, or even improve vitamin content, e.g., rice, tomato, corn, papaya, and are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or GMO foods. Globally, the consuming public's understanding and acceptance of GMO foods is widely variable, and has never been examined in Guam. Like most of the islands in the Western Pacific Region, Guam does not have island-specific legislation or regulatory requirements for GMO foods but follows US national guidelines and regulations. This project aims to assist local farmers by identifying the challenges and opportunities for growing and marketing GMO food crops in Guam. To do this, we will conduct consumer surveys to determine their baseline knowledge of and perceived risk/safety of GMO foods, their willingness-to-pay for local and/or labeled foods, and their shopping habits. This project will provide farmers and policymakers recommendations regarding marketing strategies and labeling requirements on Guam.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
This project has two overall goals. First, to provide marketing strategies to local farmers to increase their sales and encourage local production. And second, to inform policymakers and stakeholders of Guam consumers' preferences and needs for community education regarding GMO foods. Our specific objectives are:Determine Guam consumers' shopping habits and perceived risk/safety and knowledge of GMO foods via an online survey.Determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Guam consumers' willingness-to-pay for GMO foods.Develop marketing strategies based on consumers' preferences for Guam's local farmers.
Project Methods
The proposed project will be conducted through surveys, and extension and outreach activities. All project outputs will be peer-reviewed by an expert in statistics and project team members prior to dissemination.Objective 1: Determine Guam consumers' shopping habits and perceived risk/safety and knowledge of GMO foods via online survey.Methods: We will investigate consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for GMO foods, shopping habits, perceived risk and knowledge of GMO foods and biotechnology, and demographic characteristics. To analyze consumer preferences for GMO foods, we will use a dichotomous-choice Contingent Valuation (CV) method. A double-bounded logit model is widely used in estimating individual WTP based on the responses to market-type questions with dichotomous choices (Kanninen 1993; Venkatachalam 2004), and is asymptotically more efficient than the single-bounded model (Hanemann, Loomis, and Kanninen 1991). In addition, previous studies emphasize that in decision making, consumers may adjust their WTP when provided with more information on product characteristics or product attributes (Chen, Anders, and An 2013; Hellyer, Fraser, and Haddock-Fraser 2012; Rousseau and Vranken 2013; Vlaeminck, Jiang, and Vranken 2014). Consequently, we will randomly assign respondents into either one of the two groups; the treatment group will be provided with information on the benefits of GM foods, whereas the control group will not.Initiating a pilot assessment of genetically modified foods on Guam, the positive or negative impact of introducing GM foods is resistant to consumer perspective. Although the production of GMO crops is globally prevalent, consumer knowledge has not increased at the same rate of adoption. Wunderlich and Gatto (2015) imply that lack of information and opinion increases such skepticism and misconceptions. With knowledge-affecting attitude, here we will survey levels of understanding. Questions addressed include self-reported knowledge, perception of safety and effects on health, term familiarity, and sensitivity of use for genetic modification technology.Following up on the introduction of GMO foods to Guam, it is essential to measure feasible market entry. For successful reception, a base of understanding is needed to reflect consumer trends. To portray such hypothetical markets, a Contingent Valuation approach can be utilized to elicit information about consumer's willingness to pay for bread containing GMOs and GMO noodles. (Delmond et al., 2018; McCluskey et al., 2003). Using this method, this objective will follow the bidding approach. Within the survey, we will inquire willingness to pay of the participants of for GM food relative to regular non-GM products. Depending on whether the answer is "yes" or "no", a follow-up question will offer a premium or discount at the following levels: 5%, 10%, 25%, 40%, 50%, and 75%. A WTP model in this example will set a basis to marketable demand.The survey, consisting of 27 questions, will be then disseminated online using QualtricsTM in September 2020 and February 2021. Following mixed methods in Dillman et al. (2014), we will recruit 1,000 adult consumers, each provided with a lottery chance to win $10 gas gift card. Participants will be randomly selected across different local grocery stores from Northern, Central, and Southern Guam districts. On average, it will take approximately 15 minutes for a participant to complete the survey.Objective 2: Determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Guam consumers' willingness-to-pay for GMO foods.Methods: In an economic and societal perspective, the outbreak of COVID-19 has heavily affected consumer lifestyles. Such unpredicted economic shocks have downgraded the labor market, supply of production, and industry demand. Combining the research objective (Objective 1) of purchasing behavior, further assessment of willingness-to-pay will monitor the behavioral change before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The comparison will be able to depict recovering trends or disparity in consumption.Objective 3: Develop marketing strategies based on consumers' preferences for Guam's local farmers.Methods: A debatable issue surrounding genetically engineered foods, the practice of proper labeling is a general concern among consumers. In an investigation by Mclennon (2002), the characteristics of genetically engineered (GE) food labels significantly shape consumer knowledge, purchasing patterns, and the producers' marketing practices. Analyzing to be a benefit or setback, our consumer survey will examine the importance of food labels indicating genetically modified organism (GMO) ingredients, preference for distinct labeling, and reading labels as a shopping behavior. In regards to market acceptance, the impact of information should promote consumer confidence and contribute to consumer education. Especially introducing new GMO crops for local production on Guam, labeling will be used for product evaluation and selection. We will coordinate workshops to raise awareness and perception for the GMO foods and locally grown market. Participants will be able to learn about and have first-hand, on-site experience with the products, emphasizing the benefits of locally and sustainably grown food products and the demonstration of product labeling.