Altering food may deprive believers of the assurance that food is pure or kosher. Fear of food's content can alter one's sense of well-being. In extreme cases, malnutrition could occur. The Food and Drug Administration has dealt with this issue with unscientific blinders. If altered foods look the same, they argue that their medicinal properties are substantially the same as well.
Food is a drug, is part of medical treatments, and plays many roles in a healthy culture.
That genetically engineered food will hurt some people is a reasonable presumption. Like all drugs, the medicinal qualities of food need to be known and reliable. Though it may be a bitter pill, acknowledging that food is a drug and assuring its quality is good medicine. It's also a proper and hitherto neglected function of government. Dr. Paul R. Billings is a director of the Council for Responsible Genetics.