POTATO CHIPS TO WARD OFF CANCER?

Acrylamide, a chemical compound that accumulates naturally in starchy foods cooked at high temperatures, has been linked to the formation of cancer in animals, and the FDA has encouraged Americans to cut back on foods that contain it.

Potato products like French fries and potato chips make up the biggest source of acrylamide consumption in the United States. It is also found in roasted nuts, coffee beans, and bread crusts.

“This is a complicated issue so it’s important for consumers to get information on how the technology works and its potential benefits,” says Wallace Huffman, professor in agriculture and life sciences at Iowa State University.

Potato growers have tried conventional plant breeding techniques to cut down on the formation of acrylamide, but biotechnology and genetic modification have yielded more promising results.

GMO food has sparked controversy, but the results of a recent study suggest consumers are willing to pay more for genetically modified potato products if they think they’re safer.

For the study, approximately 300 people in the Boston, Los Angeles, and Des Moines areas participated in an experimental auction market for various potato products both before and after receiving informational materials on acrylamide and the biotechnology used to reduce its formation. Each participant received some combination of information from the perspective of potato growers, food scientists, and environmental groups.

Participants were willing to pay $1.78 more for a five-pound bag of potatoes after they received information from a scientific perspective on hazards associated with acrylamide exposure and a potato industry perspective on dramatically reducing acrylamide in potato products using biotechnology.

Likewise, participants were willing to pay an extra $1.33 for a package of frozen French fries after they received materials explaining the scientific implications of human exposure to acrylamide.

While scientific and industry perspectives had a substantial effect on consumers’ willingness to buy genetically modified products, the environmental information had a negative impact, Huffman says.

“There was a really strong effect from the industry and scientific perspectives,” Huffman says. “Another interesting finding was that social and demographic concerns didn’t seem to matter regarding willingness to pay for genetically modified products.”

The US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the University of Wisconsin funded the research.