Are Americans too lackadaisical concerning approval, safety and labeling of GMOs?
I think the approval of genetically modified foods without a requirement that they be labeled as genetically modified is something that came as a result of intense industry lobbying. And of course the lobbying is for one purpose: if the foods are labeled, the companies are terrified that people won’t buy them. That’s a commercial decision. It seems to me that the social questions are still there, and I think it would be quite unwise to underestimate public concern about this issue. Just because people aren’t taking to the streets every day about it doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of activity on the Internet raising these kinds of social questions every day and on many, many, many different websites. What would you want students to ask about Golden rice? Well, I think nutrition students and in general nutritionists have tended to think, “Gee, putting beta-carotene into rice is a really great idea.” I like people to really think about the social questions, because I think ultimately
