And GMOs are now actually hurting sales of American grain because Europeans don't want them. Remember nuclear power,' say critics. In the '50s, we were told that it was cheap and safe, the answer to our energy future. But today, we know how much we didn't know then. And we should err on the side of precaution rather than plowing ahead and putting those foods into our food supply until definitely the safety is proven.
Caution sounds reasonable.
But years of study, say GMO proponents, will stall a technology that promises to feed the world. To Dermot Hayes, the benefits of GMOs dwarf the risks, but the risks are a lot easier to sell. The consumer in a store will give you about a second to make your case. And if somebody says, 'We can't prove that this food does not cause cancer,' you will not consume that food. In other words, until the public can be persuaded of the benefits and safety of GMOs, this latest in a long line of new technologies may continue to meet resistance in the streets, on the stock market and on the shelves.