One of the biggest gaps between science and public perception concerns genetically modified (GM) foods. Scientists are near unanimous that GM foods are safe and furthermore necessary to feed the world’s growing population. However, some liberal groups, such as Greenpeace, have ardently opposed them.
Now more than a hundred Nobel laureate scientists have signed a letter urging Greenpeace to change its opposition to GM foods. The letter—signed by 110 Nobel laureates in medicine, chemistry, physics, and economics—was reported June 30 by Washington Post science writer Joel Achenbach. It said studies have consistently found that GM foods are just as safe to eat as conventional foods and argued that Greenpeace was on the wrong side of this issue:
We urge Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology, recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against “GMOs” in general and Golden Rice in particular.