AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- A panel of four consumers from the Jacksonville area here said they would not be afraid to purchase chicken products in their local supermarkets that had been irradiated or influenced by biotechnology.
The group made their statements during the Chicken Marketing Seminar 2000, sponsored by the National Chicken Council, Washington. See related news article, Page 1.
However, while the shoppers said they weren't particularly turned off by the scientific aspects increasingly gaining a spotlight in the food business, at least one panelist acknowledged she didn't know much about either irradiation or biotechnology.
Still, "if it's regulated by the government, then I wouldn't mind," she said, concurring with a fellow shopper who said he had no doubts whatsoever.
"Yes, I'd buy it," he said, referring to irradiated chicken. "If it's regulated, then I have no reason to doubt it's fine, and I trust that."
The panel expressed similar opinions about biotechnology, though the question did not specify whether the chicken itself would be bio-engineered through breeding to exhibit specific qualities, or whether its feed would be altered in some way.
"I feel the same way about this. If it's been reviewed and is regulated, then I have no problem with it," said a male panelist, echoing the sentiments of at least one other member.
