What do you really know about the pesticides on your food? For many consumers, the answer is not much. Ask Katie Dentzman, a rural sociologist at Iowa State University, who is examining neonicotinoid use in potato production and what it means for agriculture, regulation, and the environment.
Neonicotinoids – commonly referred to as “neonics” – are a class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine. The insecticide is widely used in U.S. agriculture to manage pests in crops and has been linked to the decline of bee populations.
Dentzman, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, specializes in the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, and public policy. Here, she studies how people – consumers, farmers, and policymakers – comprehend the use of neonics in agriculture, specifically in potato production.
The initiative started in fall 2023 and is led by entomologist Sophia Zendri at Michigan State University. It brings together a multi-institutional team of researchers from across the country, including Cornell University, Washington State University, Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin – Madison, University of Maine, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Potatoes USA, an industry group, is the project’s main industry partner.
Expertise ranges from entomologists, plant and soil scientists, and extension educators to rural sociologists. Dentzman values this interdisciplinary approach.
“Managing pesticide use requires input from many fields because the challenges are so interconnected,” she said.
Neonicotinoids are heavily regulated or partially banned in the European Union and some Canadian provinces. Yet, in the United States, regulation has been driven by large food retailers, rather than federal or state mandates.
“Walmart, for example, has stated they are intending on banning neonicotinoid use in the potatoes they purchase,” said Dentzman. “They have argued that consumers are concerned about bee health, their own health, and how the insecticide might be impacting them. What’s unclear is whether those consumer concerns are actually real or simply assumed.”
The challenge of honest responses
Dentzman is conducting a national consumer survey using Prolific, a research platform. The website helps researchers collect data from a sample of participants to reflect the demographics of the U.S. population.
The survey asks participants if they are familiar with neonicotinoids, how concerned they are about pesticide exposure, and whether they would be willing to pay more for neonicotinoid-free potatoes.