FOOD NANOTECHNOLOGY: UNDERSTANDING THE PARAMETERS OF CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE

Nanotechnology is viewed as an enabling and transformative technology destined to revolutionize nearly every sector of the economy. Seeking competitive advantages through its use, companies around the world have invested heavily in nanotechnology applications designed to dramatically improve the production and benefits of existing products, and to create extraordinary new ones. The practices of food production, processing, and packaging are already undergoing dramatic changes as the result of the adoption of nanotechnology and nanoscale materials. Hundreds of companies around the world are actively involved in the research and development of foods and beverages involving nanotechnology, and economic analysts expect that the market for nanotech foods will increase dramatically over the next few years. We plan to investigate how the public feels about nanotechnology in food products through three studies. The first will involve one-on-one interviews where we will talk with people about their understanding of nanotechnology and how it applies to food. The second will involve a national telephone survey where we will ask the public questions about what types of nanotech products in their foods would be acceptable to them. The final study will take place in a food laboratory, where we will ask people to eat food that we (falsely) claim has nanotechnology in it and ask for their opinions of the food. These studies can be used by people seeking to develop novel nanotechnology applications for food and by policy makers seeking to understand how the public feels about these products.