A new Circana study shows U.S. consumers believe reducing the need for antibiotics is a major motivator to purchase pork from gene-edited pigs.
The research, commissioned by PIC, was conducted in fall 2025 and polled more than 5,000 pork consumers from eight key countries, representative across genders and ages 18 to 70.
“Circana has conducted research on this topic for more than three years, consistently finding that gene-edited pork scores in the upper quintiles, which indicates average to above average purchase likelihood,” Staci Covkin, Circana Principal of Innovation, Consumer & Shopper Insights, says in a release.
In the Circana study, 94% of consumers indicated they are open to purchasing pork from gene-edited pigs. Meanwhile, 70% of consumers expressed a desire for greater transparency across all pork production, indicating that pork should always include additional information on the package
Consumers are Becoming More Open to Gene Editing
The study also shows that Americans are becoming more aware of gene editing. In fact, 57% of Americans indicated they are familiar with gene editing in fall of 2025, compared to 37% in December 2024.
The findings of this new research closely align with recent research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) and the Food Industry Association (FMI), which also found that pork from gene-edited pigs performed above benchmark norms for purchase likelihood and that the strongest acceptance is driven by reduced antibiotic use.
Other key highlights from this study include an 84% purchase likelihood score and 46% saying they are not willing to pay more for pork from gene-edited pigs. In addition, 84% said FDA approval is extremely or somewhat important.
“Gene editing offers incredible promise, but success depends on connecting with consumers and delivering benefits that align with their values,” Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity, says in a release. “Consumers are much more open to gene-edited products when the benefits are clear, personal and values-based.”
Largest Research Study to Date
Circana says this eight-country study, with more than 600 respondents per country, is its largest and most comprehensive research to date. Outside of the U.S., gene-edited pork received an above average purchase likelihood, and consumers identified that responsibly reducing the need for antibiotics would be the top benefit motivating their purchase in each geography tested.
“Circana Concept Testing has a 90%+ accuracy rate on in-market retail, category, brand, and consumer behavior predictions,” Covkin explains. “Circana has conducted thousands of concept tests for major consumer packaged goods and general merchandise manufacturers over the past 10 years and has validated numerous successes across many different categories, using Circana’s point of sale data that measures how products are actually performing in market.”
