Question
Big biotech firms have very sketchy track record. Why should we trust you?
Submitted by: SD Michael
Answer
Expert response from Cathleen Enright
Former Executive Director of the Council for Biotechnology Information
Wednesday, 14/01/2015 13:13
We need to earn your trust, and recognize that may take some time. For years we did not engage in the conversation about GMOs nor respond to our critics. I believe the commitment to an open and honest dialogue embodied in the GMO Answers initiative is an important step in the right direction.
The conversation on our website is not edited or filtered. We do not screen visitors’ posts; all comments and questions including criticisms and assertions can be viewed by all. Answers provided to visitors’ questions (any question), which are provided by real people whose names and photos accompany their answers, are intended to help consumers make up their own minds about GMOs, with documentation and evidence in hand.
Our objective is to provide factual information about agriculture, and we want to be a viewed as an honest, credible resource in this regard. (When I see genetic engineering portrayed on a website as something that is injected into a tomato for example, it’s a dead giveaway to me that fear and misinformation, not accurate information, are being promoted.)
In addition, you’ll never see us denigrate or misrepresent another agricultural production system (e.g., non GMO/organic). We believe that we’ll need every tool in the toolbox to feed the world in the coming decades with fewer resources (e.g., fertilizers, pesticide applications, water and land).
Interestingly, it’s clear to me as I crisscross the country speaking with groups who are either supportive or critical of the use of genetically engineering in agricultural plant breeding that both sides often share common goals—food security, protection of the environment, preservation of forestland, and a consumer’s right to know. The respectful, transparent conversation that is taking place at GMO Answers can serve to help opposing sides find common ground.
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