The psychology of GMO

To label or not? That was on the California ballot during last year's US elections, owing to a push from food safety advocates to have genetically modified food advertised as such, as has been standard in Europe for years. Those lined up in favor of the food labeling initiative argued that the consumer has a right to know what they're eating. But in a counterattack , a coalition of agribusinesses and grocers was able to sow doubt in the minds of voters and apparently convinced many that food-labeling laws would increase fear in the market and lead to costly government regulation, all leading to a bigger grocery bill. In the end, the proposition failed, so when your typical American soccer mom scrutinizes that box of corn flakes on the supermarket shelf, she will see mention of " milled corn, malt flavoring, and sugar " but not genetically modified organisms (GMO). The differences between the US and the rest of the world, and Europe in particular, on this issue are striking. During the mid-90s, when herbicide-and pest-resistant GM crops were first introduced on the market, there was an uproar in Europe. GM food was portrayed as 'frankenfood', the product of irresponsible scientists meddling with nature. Activists tried to block the introduction of GM foods in European markets though sabotage, in one case even going so far as to relieve themselves on stores of GM grain. This is despite reassurances from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US, that GM food is safe to eat. The activists cite a long list of health and environmental risks associated with GM food. On the consumer side, there is the worry that GM food might contain harmful carcinogens or allergens, for example. As a case in point, a study from Séralini et al. published in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology claimed that feeding rats GM corn causes tumors, setting off a firestorm of sensational stories and panic, leading to a special EFSA investigative panel. And on the environmental side, there is the concern that GM crops promote an increased use of herbicides, that these practices will lead to herbicide-resistant weeds, and that the genes introduced into GM crops have the potential to spread in the wild, potentially disrupting ecosystems. Like Europeans, Americans have certainly been made aware of the criticisms lodged against …