Trust in Food and Ag Tech

Research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) has identified the driving factors of consumer acceptance or rejection of technology in agriculture.

The research measured consumer attitudes regarding four agriculture and food technologies. The goal was not to gauge attitudes about those particular technologies, but rather to identify the overarching drivers of consumer acceptance and rejection of technology as a whole. The technologies used as prompts in this study included gene editing in plants, gene editing in animals, plant-based meat and cultured (cell-based) meat.

Several consistent themes regarding support for and rejection of technology emerged in the study. We identified five key drivers:

• Belief that food resulting from technology use is safe to consume
• Information on food produced through technology is readily available so consumers can make an informed, voluntary choice
• Benefits outweigh perceived risks
• Technology can help ensure a consistent supply of food
• Technology promotes greater sustainability by making more with a lesser environmental impact

If consumers believe the technology in question meets these standards, they’ll likely trust and accept it. If the technology fails to live up to any one of these standards, trust begins to erode.

Based on those findings, CFI developed two resources for anyone who wants to help build trust in food and ag technology. The Strategic Roadmap is designed for diverse sectors that use and advocate for innovation –  technology developers, farmers and growers, food retailers and foodservice, consumer packaged goods (CPGs), NGOs, influencers and researchers. The roadmap provides steps to build trust that are tailored for each group of stakeholders. The Communication Guide  offers practical tips that can be used by anyone who wants to help build trust in food and ag tech. The guide includes recommendations, messages and conversation starters to engage with consumers.