Consumer concerns about industrialized agriculture and food safety:importance, origin and possible solutions

摘要

Modern agriculture and the food industry throughout western Europe, especially in France, have become the subject of consumer criticism. The concern is focussed mainly on product quality and safety, and on environmental impact. It has therefore appeared interesting to analyse the concern along with the answers offered by the various actors concerned. First, a global review of the good and bad points of the techno-economic development of agriculture over the past few decades is presented. Then, referring to survey results, an evaluation is made of the risks as perceived by consumers. The underlying explanatory factors motivating consumer concern and the lack of confidence in agriculture are studied in order to see if the answers proposed are appropriate to the problems. In fact, the answers often appear to be relatively technical (for example of a biochemical nature), whereas the points of concern are not limited to technical matters. Several wider range, more prospective ideas are discussed in conclusion, notably the world-wide situation and the overall question of biotechnology.