Gaining Societal Acceptance of Biotechnology: The Case for Societal Engagement

The acceptance of GMO's by society is critical in terms of the evolution and use of the technology because without it, companies have no social license to operate. But gaining societal acceptance in the new media era may pose special challenges and require unique strategies. Public engagement is one strategy for gaining societal acceptance. Companies that deal directly with the majority of society (e.g. food companies) mount public engagement initiatives. Companies commercializing genetically modified (GM) crops have up till now mounted more traditional corporate affairs initiatives aimed at deregulation goals and not societal acceptance per se. Approaches including food democracy, GM labeling and transparency and dialogue will be required to achieve greater societal acceptance of GM crops.