杏吧原创

BEING receptive to new ideas is one thing. Having the information on which to
form an opinion is quite another. Lack of data is becoming a real issue in the
debate over genetically modified foods.

On Saturday, Britain鈥檚 Prime Minister Tony Blair revealed a change of heart
over these delicacies. A year ago, his office announced that 鈥渢he Prime Minister
is very strongly minded that these products are safe鈥�. What evidence persuaded
Blair to take this line was never made public. Now this week, in The
Independent newspaper, he writes that 鈥渢here is no doubt that there is
potential for harm . . . from GM food鈥�. Again, it鈥檚 not clear what prompted this
volte-face.

Meanwhile, up in Edinburgh, delegates to a conference on GM foods have been
treated to the latest safety data. On the first day, they heard about some
positive, if preliminary, findings from a Chinese study in rats, and were told
the contents of a selection of documents dredged up from the US Food and Drug
Administration. These documents are being used in a court case to challenge the
agency鈥檚 鈥渇avourable鈥� attitude to modified foods
(see 鈥淚s it or isn鈥檛 it?鈥�).

So long as people are drip-fed bits and pieces of information like these,
it鈥檚 small wonder they are confused about the safety of GM foods. John Krebs,
soon to be chairman of Britain鈥檚 new Food Standards Agency, suggests setting up
an international panel of independent scientists to review all research
published on GM foods, and commission research where it鈥檚 needed. If that鈥檚 what
it takes to get any sense out of this subject, let鈥檚 just do it.