Gene editing technologies such as the use of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) has been used by many researchers to enhance crops traits such as yield and nutritional quality. To analyze the perceptions and attitudes of consumers towards the use of this new technology, scientists from the University of Costa Rica conducted a survey. The findings are published in the Journal of Plant Biotechnology.
A total of 1,018 adults from Costa Rica were surveyed and the results indicated that only 7.4% have heard about CRISPR-Cas9. However, the majority are willing to accept its use for nature preservation (84.5%), curing diseases in animals (83.0%), crop improvement (80.9%), and curing human diseases (80.2%). More than half also agreed that CRISPR foods would improve crop production in the country (66.0%), help the economy (63.7%), and bring benefits to their families (60.7%) and the environment (57.4%). They expressed their willingness to consume CRISPR foods if the nutritional quality is improved (70.8%), cheaper than conventional foods (61.0%), and if they were available in the local market (59.4%).
Based on the results, the respondents show favorable attitudes towards CRISPR.
Read more results in the Journal of Plant Biotechnology.
Source: ISAAA
