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Can I take this opportunity to add my two penn'orth to this
debate.  Like Cindy, I have enough background to see many
potential problems BUT I believe there is a much more
important issue at stake - the issue of whether we have
freedom of choice or not.  I cannot buy goods containing
soya grown in the US which are free of Genetically Modified
soya, as the US food industry (DELIBERATELY it appears)
mixes non-GM with GM.  You are all part of a gigantic
research project, willing or not.  Over here such strong
feelings have been aroused (partly due to BSE - another
similar bit of "completely safe" meddling caused that) that
most big players in the food industry are now removing all
GM foods from their shelves and working hard to ensure no
GM material ever gets in.  This has had the effect of
converting one Canadian distributer over to distributing
only Non-GM soya (they have lost big contracts in Europe).

Public pressure can do a lot to make this sort of thing
happen but it must be applied while this thing is small
enough to be stopped.

Coeliacs have another big stake in this issue.  How long
before gluten is introduced into all manner of foods?  We
have sliced ham stabilised by wheat starch on sale here -
how about genetically modified pork with the gluten and
starch built in?  Or rather more likely, corn and rice with
high wheat gluten contents for use in commercial baking?

No this one need proper controls and the US is the major
place that demands for those controls must come from, as it
is the US which has the controlling ownership of nearly all
these companies.

Finally, don't fall for the "feeding the world's hungry"
line.  We could do that NOW.  It is debt that starves
people not lack of food (see the bottom of my sign-off)

Finally I must say that this is my own personal view and
that my employer might well disagree - some of my fellow
employees would do so vehemently.

Regards

David

David J Walland
University of Bristol Radiation Protection Adviser
[log in to unmask]
Tel +44 (0)117 928 8323
Fax +44 (0)117 929 1209

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