Biotechnology and the Consumer : A Research Project Sponsored by the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada

Biotechnology is a rapidly developing sector of the economy for coun­ tries throughout the world. This rapid development has led to heated debate over its risks and benefits. Advocates of biotechnology point to the potential benefits offered by products that promise to elimi­ nate disease, provide for more efficient diagnostic techniques, treatments and drugs, yield increased food production, and so forth. Others fear that the rapid developments of this technology have occurred without appropriate consideration having been given to the ethical ramifications, the potential health risks and long-term envi­ ronmental impacts, implications for income distribution, and potential for abuse. Consumers and producers share concern for the future of biotechnology: the realities and even the perceptions, informed or otherwise. This book is the outcome of a research project on Biotechnology and the Consumer sponsored by the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada. The project was designed to foster informed public policy on biotechnology and in particular, to contribute to and inform the Canadian government's development of a Canadian Biotechnology Strategy. The Office funded a group of authors to prepare a series of analytical papers on a range of consumer and informational issues related to biotechnology. This project also involved an interim workshop in which the authors presented their papers, and culmi­ nated in a symposium on Biotechnology and the Consumer Interest, held on September 24-25, 1997, in Ottawa, Canada. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Consumers and Biotechnology: A Synopsis of Survey and Focus Group Research....Pages 1-28 Consumers’ Decision-Making and Risk Perceptions Regarding Foods Produced with Biotechnology....Pages 29-46 The Market for Credible Information in Biotechnology....Pages 47-86 An Overview of Public Consultation Mechanisms Developed to Address the Ethical and Social Issues Raised by Biotechnology....Pages 87-123 The Commercialization of Human Genetics: A Discussion of Issues Relevant to the Canadian Consumer....Pages 125-168 International Comparisons of Biotechnology Policies....Pages 169-192 An Information-Based Approach to Labeling Biotechnology Consumer Products....Pages 193-220 Economic Perspectives on the Dissemination of Science-Based Information to Consumers....Pages 221-255 Using Advertising to Generate Information and Signals for Product Quality: Lessons for Biotechnology Markets in Canada from Pharmaceutical Markets in the United States....Pages 257-275 Biotechnology and the Media....Pages 277-308 The Federal Biotechnology Regulatory System: A Commentary on an Institutional Work in Progress....Pages 309-344 The Industrial Economics of Biotechnology....Pages 345-376 Biotechnological Innovation and Industrial Performance....Pages 377-409 Consumer Controversy and the Funding of Biotechnology Research....Pages 411-456 Appendix A: Integration Document Biotechnology, the Consumer, and the Canadian Marketplace....Pages 457-498 Appendix B: Rapporteur’s Remarks Symposium on Biotechnology and the....Pages 499-509

This volume analytically explores consumer perspectives of biotechnology and the ability of the marketplace to address consumer needs and concerns regarding this frontier technology. This includes an examination of: how science-based industries with complex market transactions provide information and choice to consumers; how consumers' perspectives of risk and uncertainty extend beyond scientific assessments of risks and hence their market demand for new products; how consumers influence the economy and societal values by bringing to their purchasing decisions a broader range of ethical, social and environmental concerns; how consumers gain a greater understanding of the importance of consumer acceptance to the successful development of this technology by examining the linkages between capital markets and consumer perspectives; how companies compete and are structured in the marketplace and how their behavior impacts on consumer welfare; and mechanisms for consumer participation and consultation. The volume also examines various non-market mechanisms for promoting choice, regulating risks and consulting with the public on the social-ethical aspects raised by biotechnology.

"This volume analytically explores consumer perspectives of biotechnology and the ability of the marketplace to address consumer needs and concerns regarding this frontier technology. The volume also examines various non-market mechanisms to promote choice, regulate risks and consult with the public on the social-ethical aspects raised by biotechnology."--BOOK JACKET