GM crops and foods: what do consumers want to know?

Abstract

Agricultural biotechnology--GMOs--has a huge positive impact on farming and farmers but remains controversial among the skeptical public. Curious but anxious consumers, driven by scare stories and pseudo-science provided by anti-GMO activists, seek accurate and authoritative answers to their questions. Here, I address a sample of such queries directed to me from the public, including the ubiquitous "Is it safe?" and also discuss some of the shameful tactics used by anti-GM activists in the public debate to garner support at the cost of inciting unnecessary anxiety among the public.