The Impact of Consumer Food Biotechnology Training on Knowledge and Attitude

Technology has, without a doubt, a huge impact on everyone’s daily lives. It is impossible for some to live without the use of machines and gadgets because they have become accustomed to them. Companies would have a hard time operating without the technology that Internet and computers can bring. Families rely on simple machines to become comfortable at home. One of the industries that has discovered the benefits that technology can bring is the food industry. Food biotechnology is increasingly becoming popular today. However, it seems that the public has little knowledge regarding this issue.

The study The Impact of Consumer Food Biotechnology Training on Knowledge and Attitude was done to determine “whether consumer’s knowledge and attitudes would be influenced by a face-to-face presentation involving food biotechnology. ” The participants for the study included county agents specializing in food and nutrition issues; college students taking food laws and regulations course, nutrition course, and general nutrition course; Indiana Extension Homemakers; members of Kappa Omicron Nu; and family and consumer science high school teachers. They totaled 576 to make up for the study.

Before making the subjects undergo training, pre-tests were given to assess their knowledge regarding food biotechnology. The training showed “historical perspective of agriculture and classical breeding, techniques for genetic modification of food crops, a listing of commercially available crops that have been evaluated by FDA-CFSAN, regulatory policies pertaining to transgenic crops, food safety, consumer acceptance, food labeling, environmental safety and controversies surrounding biotechnology. ” There was no indication as to where the study was held or how long the intervention took place.

However, it was stated that the presentations were 45 to 80 minutes long. After the training, the participants were given a post-test similar to that of the pre-test to determine if there were any effects that the training had on them. The results were significant in that the participants were able to tell that fruits and vegetables that are commercially available contain chromosomes and that products from biotechnology crops are being sold in the market. The participants were also more confident in saying that the government is properly regulating these crops after the training.

There was also an increase in their number who believed that biotechnology will not produce new allergens. Moreover, the participants were convinced that their family would experience benefits from food biotechnology, which made them decide to serve or eat biotechnology food products. Personally, I think that the results supported the study’s objective, which was to influence the subjects’ thinking and decision-making through the use of presentations. The study, therefore, is successful in its objective. The significance of the results were apparent due to the comparison of the pre- and post-tests that were conducted.

Still, the intervention greatly affected the results because of the content of the presentations and the questions that were asked by the researchers. The intervention was successful because there was a significant change in the response of the subjects. Clearly, the subjects were influenced by the presentation and this was apparent in the result of the post-test. The subjects became more knowledgeable about the technology, which made them more accepting of the facts. This influenced their decision-making and how they view biotechnology as a whole.

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