Shaping technological trajectories through innovation networks and risk networks: investigating the food sector

Technological innovation in the food sector is characterised by significant environmental impacts and a highly sensitive consumer context. The implications of genetically modified organisms in agriculture and concerns over the biosafety of new biological or chemical agents in the food chain are cases attracting recent concern. The food sector spans a complex range of activities, from primary gathering in nature such as sea fishing, through animal and crop based agriculture to advanced food manufacturing industries. Innovation develops in a variety of institutional contexts and draws on a wide range of R&D activities ranging from agricultural science to biotechnology and includes both private and public sector research organisations. Risks to human health and the natural environment are of concern to a visible and diverse array of social movements concerned with countryside preservation, animal welfare, and consumer safety. (Tansey and Worsley 1995)