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Abstract
The development of genetically modified foods (GMFs) has led to consumer concern about food safety
and environmental protection. The objective of this study was to determine the Trinidadian shopper
awareness and attitudes toward GMFs. One hundred and twenty six (126) respondents were interviewed
by a structured questionnaire of 19 questions with sections on demographics, awareness, willingness to
purchase GMFs perceived benefits and risks, labeling, availability of GMFs and responsibility for GMFs
information Whilst some respondents (44.4%) have not heard of GMFs, the slight majority of 54.8% of all
respondents claimed to have some knowledge of the topic. Furthermore it was found that of the
respondents who claimed to know of GMFs were 55.6% had an incorrect understanding of the term.
Respondents were asked if they believed that GMFs were well publicized in Trinidad with 42.9% ‘strongly
disagreeing’, 39.7% ‘disagreeing’, 13.5% ‘agreeing’, and 3.2% ‘strongly agreeing’, this was further
emphasized by the finding that the majority of respondents(67.5%) were not mindful of any GM food
product on the market. It was the view of the majority that GMFs should not be sold in Trinidad, with risks
to human health (71.4%) and the environment being major concerns. GMFs were viewed in a positive
light with reference to food security, although the majority of respondents (88.1%) stated they would
purchase non-GMFs as opposed to GMFs, if priced equally. Significant relationships (P<0.05) were
determined between awareness of GMFs, education and employment, as well as overall attitude to GMFs
genuine awareness and publicity. There was no significant statistical relationship between age and
overall attitude to GMFs.