Upon the request of the author, I'm linking to an article entitled Food or Filth? The European Paradox. I don't mean to take sides in the debate by linking to it. I just figure that it will give those for and against GMOs (as well as those who aren't sure) the opportunity to comment on the issue.
From what I can tell, the author's points are as follows:
While many in the EU express great concern with the use of GMOs in food, the EU does not regulate food ingredients which, in the US, would be considered "filth," in particular "extraneous matter, such as, for example, insect fragments, animal hair, etc." The author contends: "... this can easily be explained in a European system which gives priority to free trade among its member states over food safety and the precautionary principle, and inverts these interests to defend trade interests against outsiders." This point can be illustrated, he says, by a recent announcement by the Soil Association that it might make "food miles" an element of organic certification. If there were "a true consumer-based concern about the impact of travel delays on freshness," he argues, "the Association would instead consider refusing certification for stale produce."
He concludes: "if European activists truly represent consumers, would European consumers truly prefer to eat insect fragments and animal hair, etc., instead of food that scientists have declared safe to the most extreme limits of detection?"
My brief excerpt probably does not do justice to the topic, so those who are interested can read the article itself (which is short) or the accompanying paper. Anyone with comments should feel free to chime in (and the author should feel free to clarify if I've mis-stated things).
