Although questions of food safety occur in the U.S., they do not cause as much panic. Americans hold a less equivocal attitude toward science than Britons and other Europeans do. The U.S. has never admitted it has any problems, so the FDA is still widely trusted. Because no evidence has been found that genetically modified foods are dangerous, the FDA does not require any special labeling for them. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, the actions of ecoterrorists, who have destroyed at least 30 of more than 300 crop trials in the past few years, take place in a blaze of admiring publicity.
Prosecutions are rare for fear of copycat action and adverse press.
The reactions to the possible hazards of food, real or imagined, have raised questions about exactly what the public should be told and when. Both the scientific community and consumer groups agree that the current ad hoc system of reporting food concerns is inadequate. Real problems could be overlooked. For instance, a report from the Food Commission, a British lobbying group, states that some nut imports are contaminated with deadly aflatoxins, a potent liver carcinogen. MAFF has admitted the problem, but the finding has gone almost unnoticed and unreported.