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The fear of 'Frankenfood'
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March 28, 2000: 5:31 p.m. ET
Advocates of bio-engineered crops say 'fear tactics' threaten industry
By Staff Writer Martha Slud
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BOSTON (CNNfn) - A campaign of "fear tactics and misinformation" against genetically modified corn, soybeans and other crops poses a threat to the growth of this burgeoning new industry, bioagriculture advocates said Tuesday.
Several thousand anti-biotech activists - some dressed as killer tomatoes or mutant ears of corn - gathered this week to protest the opening of the Biotechnology Industry Organization annual meeting in Boston, charging that genetically modified foods may pose health hazards.
Consumer opposition to what have been dubbed "Frankenfoods" has been most vehement in Europe, where a de facto moratorium on bio-engineered products is in place in some countries. This opposition may be spreading to crucial new markets, such as Japan, China and Taiwan, experts said.
Anti-biotech activists have spurred "a recent wave of hysteria," Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said at a seminar on bio-engineered foods at the BIO 2000 meeting, a gathering of biotech industry executives and scientists.
Iowa, one of the biggest U.S. agriculture states, has a lot at stake. About 32 percent of the corn now planted in the U.S. and 60 percent of the soybeans are being grown with the assistance of biotechnology.
 "The current inability to market products in Europe makes it extremely difficult - and the concerns that have been expressed in Europe are beginning to be raised in the Far East," Vilsack said.
"If we fail to open these markets up, it's going to be more and more difficult for our farmers to survive," he said.
Scientists several years ago introduced biotechnology techniques that can delay ripening of fruits and vegetables and lower saturate fat levels in oils. Advocates say gene-based breeding methods of seeds helps increase crop yields, reduces the need for chemical pesticides and produces more nutritious products.
Companies involved in creating genetically modified seed planting techniques include Monsanto Co. (MTC: Research, Estimates), Dupont (DD: Research, Estimates), Aventis (AVE: Research, Estimates) and Novartis.
The industry has enjoyed explosive growth, with about 60 percent-to-70 percent of the foods on supermarket shelves in the United States containing bio-engineered ingredients, according to the Grocery Manufacturers of America.
Critics, however, say the foods have not been adequately tested and should be labeled to indicate that they contain bio-engineered ingredients.
"It's scary to go to the supermarket these days," said Andrea Kulish, one of the protesters at Sunday's anti-biotech demonstration, who called for labeling of all products containing genetically modified organisms.
The biotech industry opposes labeling of bio-engineered food, except when allergens are introduced through the modification process, saying that the Food and Drug Administration has declared the products safe and therefore no labeling is required. Forty-seven biotech crops, including squash, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, are now on the market.
For food manufacturers, particularly those with big international divisions, the threat of consumer opposition could have a chilling effect on their business and the development of new bio-engineered products, said Sue Harlander, vice president of biotechnology development and agriculture research at Pillsbury Co.
"If consumers do not accept these produces, we have to deal with the consequences," she said.
Gov. Vilsack said the industry must educate the public about bioengineered foods.
"Consumers have been hearing from mostly one side of the equation - the critics," he said. "When consumers understand the benefits, agricultural biotechnology will be accepted." 
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