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Consumers' Decision-Making and Risk Perceptions Regarding Foods Produced with Biotechnology

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Abstract

This paper presents a basic framework for how people make decisions about products that may have been produced with biotechnology and examines how decision makers form their quantitative risk estimates. It also reviews several studies which argue that the acceptability to consumers of foods produced with the use of biotechnology is influenced not only by their perceptions about the magnitude of the risks involved, but also by the qualitative characteristics of the potential risks. The paper concludes with a suggested approach to enhancing communication between risk communicators and the public regarding the role of biotechnology in the food and other sectors.

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Wohl, J.B. Consumers' Decision-Making and Risk Perceptions Regarding Foods Produced with Biotechnology. Journal of Consumer Policy 21, 387–404 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006904622571

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