Beyond the Hype: Stakeholder Perceptions of Nanotechnology and Genetic Engineering for Sustainable Food Production

Madison D. Horgan (), Christopher L. Cummings, Jennifer Kuzma, Michael Dahlstrom, Ilaria Cimadori, Maude Cuchiara, Colin Larter, Nick Loschin and Khara D. Grieger
Additional contact information
Madison D. Horgan: Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Christopher L. Cummings: Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Jennifer Kuzma: Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Michael Dahlstrom: Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Ilaria Cimadori: Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
Maude Cuchiara: North Carolina Plant Science Initiative, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Colin Larter: Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Nick Loschin: Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Khara D. Grieger: Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-26

Abstract: Ensuring sustainable food systems is an urgent global priority as populations grow and environmental pressures mount. Technological innovations such as genetic engineering (GE) and nanotechnology (nano) have been promoted as promising pathways for achieving greater sustainability in agriculture and food production. Yet, the sustainability of these technologies is not defined by technical performance alone; it hinges on how they are perceived by key stakeholders and how well they align with broader societal values. This study addresses the critical question of how expert stakeholders evaluate the sustainability of GE and nano-based food and agriculture (agrifood) products. Using a multi-method online platform, we engaged 42 experts across academia, government, industry, and NGOs in the United States to assess six real-world case studies—three using GE and three using nano—across ten different dimensions of sustainability. We show that nano-based products were consistently rated more favorably than their GE counterparts in terms of environmental, economic, and social sustainability, as well as across ethical and societal dimensions. Like prior studies, our results reveal that stakeholders see meaningful distinctions between nanotechnology and biotechnology, likely due to underlying value-based concerns about animal welfare, perceived naturalness, or corporate control of agrifood systems. The fruit coating and flu vaccine—both nano-enabled—received the most positive ratings, while GE mustard greens and salmon were the most polarizing. These results underscore the importance of incorporating stakeholder perspectives in technology assessment and innovation governance. These results also suggest that responsible innovation efforts in agrifood systems should prioritize communication, addressing meaningful societal needs, and the contextual understanding of societal values to build trust and legitimacy.

Keywords: agrifood technologies; genetic engineering; nanotechnology; perceptions of sustainability; stakeholder engagement; responsible innovation; technology governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6795/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6795/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6795-:d:1710424

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().