I teach a first-year risk analysis class at the University of Guelph and, of course, my students and I have been discussing agricultural biotechnology. To hear another perspective, I invited a Greenpeace campaigner to speak with my class, in an academic setting. I then noticed Greenpeace was having a public information night in Toronto on Nov. 9. Because the university administration encourages instructors to engage students in extra-curricular activities that complement lectures, I suggested that my class attend the evening meeting. Turns out it was a gathering of 200 disciples listening to the Greenpeace gospel.
Genetic engineering is a powerful technology and therein lies both the promise and the angst.
No doubt, some proponents of genetics have used and abused this science over the decades, largely due to the projection of contemporary social values. But having examined the testing and approval process for genetically engineered crops, I am confident along with scientific bodies such as the Institute of Food Technologists and an international scientific committee of the OECD that the system is rigorous and robust. The crops derived through other forms of genetic alteration, such as mutagenesis breeding, which deliberately induces mutations and creates new proteins, are similarly sound. Canada would be wise to follow suit. In the meantime, for those who find little comfort in scientific pronouncements, voluntary labels as for organic and kosher products don't impose a choice on consumers who may prefer to receive information on quality, taste and cost.