The Praxis Group™ | Involving People.

The “Acceptable Genes” project studied food traditions and prohibitions within a moral, philosophical and religious framework. It examined the impact, if any, that genetically engineered foods might have on such traditions. Praxis Pacific designed, recruited, and moderated a series of focus groups with laypeople from various religious traditions (Hinduism, Judaism, Mennonite Christian, Seventh-day Adventist, Buddhism, Islam, and Ethical Veganism) to explore these questions.

A team of international religious scholars used the focus group results to augment its scholarly research on the topic, culminating in the publication of the “Acceptable Genes Religious Traditions and Genetically Modified Foods” (SUNY Press, Fall 2009). The Praxis moderator co-authored one of the book chapters and continues to make presentations about these unique focus groups at conferences and public lectures.