Respondents requested information covering a wide range of issues, indicating a need for some preliminary research prior to the initiation of any quantitative study. Focus groups provided an indepth understanding of the issues among consumers, growers and handlers. A product attribute manipulation study assessed the influence of genetic engineering on consumers' purchase intention. Finally, a national survey was used to measure and explain the attitudes of a representative sample of New Zealanders. These results are preliminary findings only.
Further analysis is required.
The survey in particular was designed to allow good correlation between different series of questions to give a more in-depth understanding of the respondents. The survey has also been conducted in European Union countries and this will allow comparisons to be made with responses in these countries. However, there was subsequently found to be very little difference in issues raised between the various group types. This is of particular concern in the context of food such as fruit and vegetables that are bought for their nutritional contribution to the diet. Desire for labelling depends on product category, occasion and consumer.