British Citizens Voice Overwhelming Opposition to GM Foods
The British government is poised to support the planting of GM crops in Europe when a five-year ban on them expires next year — but British citizens could scarcely disapprove more of that plan. According to “GM Nation?,” a report on the results of 600 meetings held throughout England this summer, British sentiment on GM foods “ranged from caution and doubt, through suspicion and skepticism, to hostility and rejection.” My, my. Only 2 percent of people said they would be happy to eat GM foods; half said such crops should never be introduced to the country under any circumstance. The report also found that the more knowledgeable people were about GM crops, the stronger their opposition became. Biotechnology companies have dismissed the results of the report, but the government has promised to take it into account when formulating national policy.
