Irish consumer acceptance of a hypothetical second-generation GM yogurt product

This paper examines Irish consumer acceptance of second-generation GM products, defined here as those which are expected to exhibit a specific consumer-oriented benefit. Conjoint analysis was used to determine Irish consumer preferences (n = 297) for attributes of a hypothetical GM yogurt. Cluster analysis on the basis of the GM attribute revealed four segments of consumers. An “anti-GM” segment (24.4% of sample) were outright rejecters of all GM foods, while a second cluster (33.4%) specifically rejected second-generation GM products. A further 20.5% of the sample were receptive to the notion of second-generation GM products. However, this group had a number of complex reservations, which would need to be resolved before they would truly accept such products. GM foods offering specific consumer benefits were found to be acceptable to 21.2% of the sample, implying that these foods could represent a segment within the overall food market in the future.