Chemical and radiation techniques can hybridize plants of the same species, different species and even more than one genus to create a variety of genetic mutants. Varieties with superior traits may become commonly consumed foods that are properly regarded as safe. But there have been some notable exceptions from this trialanderror method. A crossbred potato was withdrawn in the 1960s for having having unusually high levels of a natural toxin. A new celery variety was withdrawn in the 1980s for causing skin rashes among farm workers. .
Biotechnology improves on traditional methods by removing the guesswork.
Many activist groups traditionally have opposed big business. They refuse to acknowledge that multinational corporations developed a new technology holding tremendous promise. Greenpeace now reviles Patrick Moore, one the environmental activist group s founders, for his insights into this area. Moore recently told Oregon Wheat magazine that many environmentalists have taken a sharp turn to the ultraleft. He points out Greenpeace has called for a grassroots revolution against pragmatism and compromise.