Much of the hubbub over transgenic food has a decidedly political flavor. Some scientists wonder whether transgene hysteria is symptomatic of larger issues. 3 Activists concerned about the safety of GM foods often say that they require more testing. Jeremy Rifkin , another opponent of GM foods, is planning to sue Monsanto, DuPont, Novartis, and other biotech companies for antitrust violations. It's strange that while Europe frets over multinational corporations, much of the rest of the world is trying to figure out how to feed a growing population.
Transgenic crops are the answer.
GM crops that resist infection, use nutrients more efficiently, are easier to cultivate, and produce higher yields may be the harbinger of a sustainable agriculture that's friendlier to the environment, according to Peter Raven , director of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. And developing nations want to be part of the debate and discussion now. Africans can speak for themselves. 4 Marine ecologist Rita Colwell , director of the National Science Foundation, isn't surprised that today's fear of biotech in the United Kingdom seems to echo U.S. sentiment of more than a decade ago. Colwell credits the International Conference on Recombinant DNA Molecules held in Asilomar, Calif., in 1975 with the comparative lack of panic over transgenic technology in the United States.