Public Perspectives on Food Risks
The American public is closely divided over the degree of health risk posed by additives present in the foods we regularly eat. Majorities see at least some risk from eating food produced with common agricultural and processing practices, including meat from animals given hormones or antibiotics, produce grown with pesticides and foods with artificial ingredients. And about half of the public says that foods with genetically modified (GM) ingredients are worse for one's health than foods without, according to a new nationally representative survey from Pew Research Center.
When asked to rate the degree of long-term health risk to the average person from eating four types of foods – each with a different kind of additive introduced at some stage during food production – most Americans report at least “some” risk from meat from animals given hormones or antibiotics, or produce grown with pesticides, as well as food and beverages with artificial preservatives or coloring. Public concern is highest for meat from animals given antibiotics or hormones and produce grown with pesticides (32% and 31%, respectively, consider each to pose “a great deal” of health risk to the average person) followed by food and beverages with artificial preservatives (26%) or artificial coloring (21%).
Consumer preference for “natural” foods, a common label with no standard meaning from a U.S. regulatory perspective, raises concerns among some in the scientific community that the public has an aversion to additives and anything that might be seen as “unnatural” in the foods people eat, sometimes called 
The survey finds about half of Americans (49%) believe foods with GM ingredients are worse for one's health, while 44% say such foods are neither better nor worse than non-GM foods and 5% say they are better for one's health.
The share of Americans who say foods with GM ingredients are worse for one's health is up 10 percentage points, from 39% in 2016.
Still, when contemplating the effects of GM foods on society at large, Americans anticipate some positive consequences. About three-quarters (76%) of Americans say it is very (31%) or fairly likely (45%) GM foods will increase the food supply. A somewhat smaller share, though still a 63% majority, thinks it is very (25%) or fairly likely (38%) that GM foods will result in more affordably priced food.
On the other hand, majorities think GM foods are at least fairly likely to lead to health problems for the population as a whole (24% say this is very likely, 35% say it is fairly likely) or create problems for the environment (21% very likely, 35% fairly likely).
In the survey, Pew Research Center used the term “genetically modified ingredients” to reflect common usage for a genetically engineered or modified food ingredient. Such terms encompass a range of techniques, most commonly adding genetic material from another species to change, for example, a plant's characteristics.
But what is and isn't considered genetically modified can be murky, even among regulatory agencies. A March 2018 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 
People who believe genetically modified (GM) foods are worse for health than foods with non-GM ingredients are more likely to have negative expectations for the effects of GM foods on public health and the environment.
Some 40% of those who say GM foods are worse for health believe that those foods are very likely to lead to health problems for the population as a whole, compared with just 6% who say the same among those who believe GM foods are neither better nor worse for health.
Similarly, some 34% of those who believe GM foods are worse for health anticipate that GM foods will very likely create problems for the environment, while just 8% say this among those who believe GM foods are neither better nor worse.
There is a weaker relationship between one's beliefs about GM foods and expectations that such foods will increase the global food supply. And there is no relationship between beliefs and an expectation that GM foods will lead to more affordably priced food.
Americans' views about GM foods tend to vary by gender, degree of concern about the GM foods issue and level of science knowledge
The public's views and expectations about the effects of GM foods adhere to some consistent patterns, similar to those observed in the survey findings about how people feel about various types of food additives.
For instance, gender again is a factor, with women more likely than men to see negative effects of GM foods. And, overall, people's degree of concern about the GM foods issue is strongly related to their beliefs about GM foods and the potential effects of these foods on public health and the environment. There is also a relationship between science knowledge and beliefs about GM foods. Americans with a high level of science knowledge are more likely to be optimistic that GM foods will help increase the global food supply and this group is less likely to believe that GM foods are worse for one's health than non-GM. But consistent with 
Overall, a minority of about one-in-five Americans (22%) say they care a great deal about the issue of GM foods, while an additional roughly four-in-ten (39%) say they care some. About four-in-ten say they care either not too much (28%) or not at all (10%) about this issue.
But the 22% of the public that cares deeply about the issue of GM foods holds views that are distinct from those of other Americans.
For instance, a large majority of Americans who care a great deal about the GM foods issue (80%) say foods with GM ingredients are worse for their health than foods with no GM ingredients. In contrast, among those who care not too much or not at all about the issue of GM foods, two-in-ten (20%) say foods with GM ingredients are worse for their health, while most of this group (73%) says GM foods are neither better nor worse than foods with no GM ingredients.
Similarly, people who care deeply about the issue of GM foods are also more likely to think that negative health and environmental effects will accrue as a result of GM foods. A majority of those who care a great deal about the issue of GM foods (63%) say GM foods will very likely lead to health problems for the population as a whole, compared with just 7% of those who care not too much or not at all about the issue who say the same. At the same time, those who care a great deal are more likely than other Americans to think GM foods will increase the food supply and lead to affordably priced foods, although no more than half of any of these groups consider this very likely.
About half of those with high science knowledge expect GM foods to increase the food supply
At a time when biotechnology continues to push the boundaries of crop development, the survey finds a relationship between how much people know about science and their beliefs about GM foods. People with high science knowledge, based on a nine-item index, are the most positive in their assessments of GM foods, while those with less understanding of science register more concern about GM foods.
Americans are closely divided over whether organic fruits and vegetables are better for one's health than conventionally grown foods: 45% say they are, while 51% say that organic produce is neither better nor worse for health than conventionally grown produce.
Younger Americans are more likely than their older counterparts to believe that organics are better for one's health than conventionally grown produce. Some 54% of those ages 18 to 29 and 47% of those 30 to 49 say organic foods are better for one's health. By comparison, 39% of those ages 65 and older believe organic foods are better for one's health than conventionally grown foods.
People who care deeply about the issue of GM foods are more than twice as likely as those with less concern about this issue to say organic foods are better for one's health than conventionally grown foods (65% of those who care a great deal about the issue of GM foods say this vs. 29% of those who care not too much or not at all).
About four-in-ten Americans (39%) estimate that most (7%) or some (32%) of what they eat is organic. A majority of this group (68%) believes that organic produce is better for one's health than conventionally grown options. By comparison, 32% of those who report eating no or not too much organic food believe that organic produce is better for one's health.
While women are more inclined than men to see health risk from GM foods and food additives, there are no differences between men and women when it comes to beliefs about the comparative health benefits of organic produce. Similarly, there were no significant differences between men and women on beliefs about the health effects of organic produce in the Center's 2016 survey.
The share of U.S. adults who say organic produce is better for one's health declined from 55% in 2016 to 45% this year. While people of all levels of science knowledge are about equally likely in the new survey to say organic produce is better for health, the shifts from 2016 in beliefs about organic produce occurred among those with high and medium science knowledge. People with low science knowledge held similar beliefs in both years.
