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BioTech Making Progress Good News in the World of Biotechnology Most recent was the very strong, 7–1 with one abstention, ruling from the United States Supreme Court on Roundup Ready alfalfa. With this ruling, Monsanto hopes to have approval to sell seed by this fall. More than 50 members of Congress writing to the Secretary of Agriculture urging him not to allow the approval. Given the slow pace of the courts and the USDA, next spring may be more realistic. Consumer acceptance of Biotechnol- ogy in food is increasing. A newly released International Food Information Council (IFIC) survey shows that an overwhelming percentage of consumers will choose foods that are produced through biotechnology based on environmental benefits and sus- tainable agricultural practices, including wheat. Gaining Support for Biotech: The Fight to End Global Hunger The bottom line on policy debates around genetically modified foods. Back up your positions with scientific facts. “When we have political discussions that are not bringing in scientific information, then we lose as a community,” according to Pam Ronald, professor of plant pathology and chairwoman of the Plant Genomics Program at the University of California, Davis. Ronald made this point during a panel discussion on the political and social road- blocks biotechnology companies face in trying to help feed the more than 1 billion hungry people across the globe. 20 Sugar Producer AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 Political decisions have such a lasting im- pact on the public’s perception of biotech- nology that science needs to be involved in these discussions, she says. Political decisions made in the absence of scientific information and data ultimately are poor decisions, Ronald pointed out during the discussion, which took place at the 2010 BIO International Convention, held recently in Chicago. BIO International Convention Biotechnology holds promise in combating hunger in parts of the world where pests and disease ruin crops. GM crops would enable impoverished farmers in such re- gions to produce larger yields in a sustain- able fashion, breaking the cycle of hunger while also raising their incomes. The fears held by some members of the public are misplaced, panel members said as they pointed to data that more than 2 billion acres of GM crops have been grown and consumed without a single adverse effect on human health. The panel agreed that to better inform the public, increased communication be- tween scientists in academia and the press is needed, along with improved science education in the K–12 grades. The logic behind this sentiment is sim- ple: Misconceptions about biotechnology will be removed if the scientific community works with the press to accurately and regularly report on genetically modified crops. Moreover, if children were taught about farming and food production from an early age, biotechnology would cease to be an unknown concept, Prakash said. n Editor’s Note: this report is based on the Growers for Biotechnology newsletter dated June 28, 2010. Growers for Biotechnology P.O. Box 253, Valley City, ND 58072-0253 Phone: 701-845-2093 Email: info@growersforbiotechnology.org More about the IFIC survey findings can be found at www.foodinsight.org.