Genetically modified food gave rise to several controversies since it came into being. The clash of international GMF legislation is rooted in the divergence of the EU and the US legislation, which leads to the divergence of the WTO and Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and indirectly influences the legislative choice of developing countries. Like other developing countries, China also faces lots of challenges including lag in genetically modified organism technology, disadvantage caused by invisible private standard, technical control of GMO companies in developed countries and low level of involvement of the public. In recent years, China adopts its own policy on GMO by developing GM technology cautiously. The legislative situation in China fall far behind domestic research and commercial production necessity. China has revised several existing legislations. Although there is far from perfect, it makes great progress. In the future, China is expected to be more active, positive and open towards GMO.

This study examined how the consumers’ perception of GM food affects their purchasing behavior. In addition, this study investigated how the amount of knowledge a consumer has regarding GM food affects their perception of this type of food. The quantitative research method was used to collect data. The data from a self-administered survey, which was conducted in South Korea, was analyzed using descriptive analysis, ANOVA, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis methods. The results of the survey indicate that most respondents may have unknowingly purchased GM food. Further, the respondents reported that they likely had known about or had heard of GM food. In addition, the survey indicated that the amount of knowledge possessed by the respondents regarding GM food greatly affected their perceptions of this type of food. These findings will contribute to the current GM food market by providing the food market with additional information relating to the consumers’ perceptions of GM food.