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February 1999

Seriously Silly
27/2/99, New Scientist (Opinion)
As every fan of Monty Python knows, sketches can become too absurd for their own good. That's what seemed to be happening to Britain's great genetically modified food saga earlier this week when it emerged that scientists at the nation's biggest biotech company may have been breaking the letter of the law when they merrily tucked into tomatoes that had been genetically modified.

Science-Fiction Scare Stories
14/2/99, Sunday Business (Opinion)
The current heated debate about genetically-modified foods is understandable. Consumers appear wary about food safety. It sometimes seems that there is a new food scare almost every other month. And, after BSE, it is no surprised that food safety is high on the political and media agenda. But the debate about GM foods has not really begun, at least not one based on science.

Monsanto Has Supported Fair Regulation Of Biotechnology
13/2/99, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Opinion)
During the early 1980s and continuing to 1989, I was chairman of Monsanto Co.'s Biotechnology Strategy Committee. Monsanto had clearly identified biotechnology as a major corporate objective. We believed we had more than the usual scientific and marketing issues to manage. More important, we recognized that the largest potential stumbling block was lack of freedom to operate because of a flawed regulatory situation that could occur.

Frying Tonight In The Lab, A Chip That Never Goes Soggy
05/2/99, Daily Mail
Scientists experimenting with GM foods claim they are on the verge of creating the perfect chip which will not become soggy and bent. The theory is that by increasing the amount of starch in certain types of potato the resulting chips will not absorb as much fat or vinegar and therefore keep their shape much better and remain straight.

A Web Of Deceit
02/2/99, TIME Online
Heard the one about the common shampoo ingredient that causes cancer? Or how about the epidemic of blindness among toddlers who accidentally get waterproof sunscreen in their eyes? These absurd fictions used to be the stock-in-trade of ninth-graders bent on frightening the younger kids. But now such tall tales are appearing on the Internet, and many adults are taking them seriously.

Frankenstein Food: A Boon For Mankind Or A Time-Bomb?
01/2/99, Western Daily Press (Bristol)
It first appeared as tomato puree in 1996. But since then, genetically modified food has founds its way into chocolate, biscuits, beer, pies, flour and ready meals. In fact, it is now estimated that up to 60 per cent of products on supermarket shelves contain some genetically modified (GM) ingredients.

Food Debate: Let's Hear All The Facts
01/2/99, Evening Standard (London - Letter to the Editor)
The House of Lords select report on genetic modification of crops, published last week, did not claim "untold benefits" and adopted a more cautious approach to the technology than your report (Experts call for a total ban on Frankenstein food, 26 January) suggested. While recognising that the technology held the promise of substantial benefits, the committee, which I chaired, also considered that there were potential dangers, particularly for the environment, and for that reason proposed a strengthening of the existing regulatory system.