Nearly all of the US media coverage of genetically modified (GM) food has missed the main point: The whole furor was caused by the irresponsible actions of a single rogue biotech multinational, Monsanto.  The furor has very little to do with science, biotechnology, or even economics.  Take Monsanto out of the equation and the whole issue could be resolved fairly easily with a little good will and common sense.

     The British government and the British science establishment reacted to the angry reaction of the British public as if it were a challenge by "laypersons" to authority and expertise of "professionals" - with an angry reaction of their own.  Because of this, they failed to understand that the anger of the public was simply the natural reaction of sensible human beings who are worried about their health and safety.  The public was simply afraid that it was being forced to eat unsafe and unwanted products and reacted to this threat.

    Unfortunately, the elitist reaction of the science establishment was to give immediate support to the government's claims of safety despite the fact that little or no scientific data on the risks to humans had been published (or has since been published).  Not surprisingly, the public was not reassured by either governmental or scientific" assertions that the products were harmless.  The public had previously heard the same kind of safety claims for meat products during the furor over "mad cow disease".  Now there is no question that products that the British government and its loyal scientists called "harmless" actually caused deaths and serious illnesses.

     The crux of the matter is this: Deliberate Monsanto policies were primarily responsible for this grave abuse of biotechnology.  It was Monsanto's policy to force its unwanted products on consumers worldwide--irrespective of the harm it was doing to its customers, to worldwide sales of US agricultural products, or the rest of biotechnology corporations.  Monsanto has defied the European Union, the United Nations, and the laws of many different nations.  Monsanto is a rogue corporation whose self-serving policies have endangered the health, safety, and welfare of the world population and it should be put out of business.