Send Orders for Reprints to reprints@benthamscience.ae 28 Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture, 2015, 7, 28-34 Genetically Modified Foods and Consumer Perspective Flavio Boccia* 1 and Pasquale Sarnacchiaro 2 1 Assistant Professor, Economics and Law Department, “Parthenope” University of Naples, Italy; 2 Assistant Professor, Economics Faculty, “La Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy Received: January 14, 2015; Revised: March 23, 2015; Accepted: March 27, 2015 Abstract: Genetically modified food is able to oppose the world’s hunger and preserve the environment, even if the patents in this matter are symptomatic of several doubts. And also, transgenic consumption causes problems and skepticism among consumers in several European countries, but above all in Italy, where there is a strong opposition over recent years. So, the present study conducted a research to study the consumption of genetically modified food products by Italian young generation. This research presented the following purposes: firstly, to analyze genetically modified products’ consumption among a particular category of consumers; secondly, to implement a quantitative model to understand behaviour about this particular kind of consumption and identify the factors that determine their purchase. The proposed model shows that transgenic consumption is especially linked to knowledge and impact on environment and mankind’s health. Keywords: Behaviour, factorial analysis, formative measurement model, GMO, structural equation model. 1. INTRODUCTION In the last decades consumers’ behaviour of food products is more and more influenced by quality and safety. So, in this new scenario continuously evolving, food labeling plays an important role in the food system and marketing policy [1]. People obtain several information on food features through labels and the latter are able to behave on the pur- chasing act [2]: practically it is due to consumers’ behaviour, that is based on particular food attributes linked to product [3]. So, in this context the food label represents the only real source of information available to the consumer and able to influence him [4]. Several studies underline that people will pay more for claims not present on classic food labels: for instance, ‘environmentally-friendly’ on eco-labels, ‘organic product’ on organic labels, ‘respect in working conditions’ on social label. The use of new biotechnologies into agri- food system has generated many contrasting reactions in all actors involved, in several matters: from risk evaluation and patent issue to traceability system, from issue of coexistence of the various cultivations to question of labelling, from the discussion on threshold limit to the undisputable consumers’ protection. In this way, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are more and more important. As a matter of fact, GM consumer knowledge is one of the most important elements affecting consumer response to GM food: the acceptance depends on the consumer's perception of risks and benefits: and it regards also taste impact, nutritional value, convenience, *Address correspondence to this author at the Economics and Law Depart- ment, “Parthenope” University of Naples, Italy; Tel/Fax: +390815474343; E-mail: flavio.boccia@uniparthenope.it safety, risks and environmental effects. Data’s credibility, impartial action of regulators, rigor of normative and respon- sibility of industry are able to influence public acceptance. The correlation between consumer and what gets component procurement process generates a perceived value, that has an important role in purchasing decisions and describes a relationship between (quality/price) [5-7]. Therefore, the perceived value is created through benefits or obtained quality versus paid physical sacrifices: the higher the level of these benefits higher the perception of value [8]. The issue is based on perceived risk attitudes, trust in scientists and institutions and industry, need to create communication strategies: explicitly all of this includes public concerns [9]. So, many doubts hit Europeans and, above all, Italian people: therefore, our research tends to study GM consumption into a particular segment of population: young generation, that is Italian public high school students [10]. This work suggests the following purposes: firstly, to analyze genetically modified products’ consumption among a particular category of consumers; secondly, to implement a quantitative model to understand behaviour about this particular kind of consumption and identify the factors that determine their purchase: and it is the structural equation model (SEM), that is a statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relations using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assump- tions. The study is based on our previous research and is its natural continuation and deepening, but also important for future researches. 2. MATERIAL AND METHODS Above all in the food system, the consumer does not select only through factors bound to the quality/price relationship: nowadays other basic items are also ethics, 1876-1429/15 $100.00+.00 © 2015 Bentham Science Publishers