Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

January 30, 2004

Research

What's in a label?
Research led by ag economist Wallace Huffman shows that the type of information consumers receive can affect their willingness to buy genetically altered food.

Participants in a 2001 experiment were given $40 to bid on vegetable oil, tortilla chips and russet potatoes. Food labels listed weight and content, and some included a statement that the product had been made using genetic modification.

Participants received different background information on genetic alteration: one was typical of statements written by groups that oppose genetic alteration, another by industry groups that approve the practice and a third by an independent party.

"In general, when consumers saw the GM label, they bid less by an average of 14 percent," Huffman said. "This is an indication the industry won't voluntarily label GM foods of the type tested because consumers would pay significantly less for them."

Huffman said the research also showed consumers are willing to pay the most for food items that might be genetically modified if they hear only the industry perspective, and the least if they hear only the opposition group perspective.

"The independent, third-party perspective is a significant moderating force against the extremes of either of the other two perspectives," he said.

A bird's life
Faculty member Carol Vleck wants to know why some birds of the same species live longer in one location than another.

That quest will take her to Belize, Central America, over spring break to study mangrove swallows, which typically live 40 percent longer than swallows in the United States.

"We're trying to understand the physiological aspects of why these birds have longer life spans than their U.S. relatives," said Vleck, who's in the ecology, evolution and organismal biology department.

Her research involves exploring the interaction of aging, life span and telomere biology. Telomeres are short tandem repeated sequences of DNA found at the ends of chromosomes.

"The rate of shortening of telomeres varies with life span," Vleck said. "Long-lived species preserve telomere length better than short-lived species. We're trying to find out more about the underlying mechanisms and how these birds can slow the aging process."

View research grant opportunities online
Information about research funding opportunities is available online through the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Advanced Studies: http://grants-svr.admin.iastate.edu/Funding. Questions about sponsored research may be directed to Sreeparna Mitra, director of grant development, 4-1538, e-mail: mitra@iastate.edu.