Consumers want nanotech labelling - and will pay extra for it

US consumers want food processors to declare which food products use nanotechnology - regardless of whether the nanotechnology is in the food or is used in food packaging.

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Minnesota shows that the public wants labels for food nanotech, and they’re happy to pay more for the labelling.

“We wanted to know whether people want nanotechnology in food to be labelled, and the vast majority of the participants in our study do,” said Dr Jennifer Kuzma, senior author of a paper on the research and Goodnight-Glaxo Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at NC State.

“Our study is the first research in the US to take an in-depth, focus-group approach to understanding the public perception of nanotechnology in foods.”

The researchers convened six focus groups - three in Minnesota and three in North Carolina - and gave study participants some basic information about nanotechnology and its use in food products. Participants were then asked a series of questions addressing whether food nanotechnology should be labelled. Participants were also sent a follow-up survey within a week of their focus group meeting.

Participants were particularly keen on labelling for products in which nanotechnology had been added to the food itself, but were also in favour of labelling products for which nanotechnology had been incorporated into the food packaging.

The researchers say the call for labelling does not necessarily indicate that people are necessarily opposed to the use of nanotechnology in food products. For instance, many participants supported the use of nanotechnology to extend shelf life or improve products’ nutrition - but they still wanted those products to be labelled.

“People do have nuanced perspectives on this,” said Kuzma. “They want labelling, but they also want access to reliable, research-based information about the risks associated with labelled products - such as a Food and Drug Administration website offering additional information about labelled products.”

Through the follow-up survey, the researchers also found that about 60% of the participants were willing to pay an additional 5 to 25% of the product price for either nanotechnology-free products or nanotechnology labelling.

A paper outlining the research, “Hungry for Information: Public Attitudes Toward Food Nanotechnology and Labelling”, was published online on 7 October in the Review of Policy Research journal.