Gyula Kasza

Social Trenches in the GM Food Battlefield: Experiences of a Survey Series in Hungary

Since the 1990s, attention has been focused on GM plant and food applications, due to concerns about potential risks that arise from the technology. There is a vast literature on social attitudes to GM in richer countries where public debates have taken place. Hungary as a transition country provides a context where the media and the public engage with GM in a different way. This chapter uses content analysis of print and electronic media, as well as interviews, to explore framings in relation to different social and political groups. The Hungarian political context generates a double game: anti-GM declarations for domestic voters, and pro-GM policy in the international arena. The academic sphere is also divided, partly as a consequence of its chronic underfunding, which means it cannot fulfill its role as a scientific watchdog: some institutions depend on funding from international biotech companies, some try to get resources to study GM risks. Agricultural production also has a dual structure. The large-scale producers adopt a pro- and the small producers an anti-GM position. It is highly possible that the last word in the GM debate will be determined by international processes (such as trade liberalization, the WTO, and policies of neighboring countries), political forces and lobbying by interest groups and not public opinion and independent, objective academic discourse.

Assessment of household food waste in Hungary

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine and quantify the most dominant types of food waste in Hungarian households and to analyse the effect of demographic background and income as influencing factors. Design/methodology/approach Data related to solid and liquid food waste were recorded in 100 households for one week. The study primarily focused on avoidable food waste, however, unavoidable and potentially avoidable food waste were also measured. Appropriate tools and manual were provided to the households to ensure data consistency. Findings Estimated quantity of total food waste (including liquid waste) per capita is 68.04 kg/year. 48.70% of total food waste would have been avoidable (equals to 33.14 kg/capita/year). Most frequently wasted food categories were meals and bakery products. In case of some demographic categories different wastage levels were observed. It was also confirmed that income has effect on food waste production that varies by foodstuff categories: bakery product waste was...

Risk Communication at the Hungarian Guar-Gum Scandal

Millions of people have no access to healthy and safe food due to food insecurity that may occur at household, regional or national levels. National policies, insufficient agricultural development and low levels of education may lead to food insecurity. Furthermore, food quality and food safety is a major benchmark of economic development. Food borne risks to human health can arise from biological, chemical or physical hazards. Risk analysis is a key discipline for reducing food borne diseases and food insecurity, and for strengthening food safety systems. Food safety risk analysis is used for assessing and managing risks associated with food hazards. The risk analysis process contains three elements: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. This paper focuses on risk communication and summarizes the results and findings of the case study for official food safety communicators. The preliminary descriptive study intends to present the reaction of Hungarian consumers to a crisis that affected a wide range of society. In 2007, the guar gum scandal caused panic among consumers when dioxin-contaminated guar gum entered the food chain. This food contamination scare followed previous occasions such as production of intoxicated paprika powder, re-labelling of overdue meat packages and the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis in Hungary. To analyze risk perception and consumer behavior, a primary research was conducted with a sample size of 1,577.