Have Faith In Science – Which Means GMOs [Opinion]
February 25, 2015 
This whole brouhaha over whether to vaccinate children for measles frankly caught me off guard. Not so much that there were people who were opposed to vaccines, as it’s a question of trust. Those on the far left have total unbending trust in what is “natural,” and those on the far right have total unbending mistrust in “institutions.”
I just thought most people would realize that people used to actually die from measles. Since we started vaccinating kids, they don’t even get them. Ergo, vaccines must be a good thing.
But that would be trusting science, and a lot of Americans have no such trust. There was a really interesting poll released recently by the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It was interesting not only because it revealed how much Americans trust science, but the gap between how much they trust science and how much scientists trust science.
For example, when asked if vaccinations should be required for children, just 68% agreed, while 86% of the scientists did. That might be on the low side even for the scientists, but I’d guess about 10% of people are opposed to mandatory anything. I can see that, even if I don’t agree with it, as the United States of America connotes a certain personal freedom.
What really shocked me about the survey were the responses to questions regarding agriculture. One answer was particularly scary: Only about one in four Americans, or 28%, said that it was safe to eat foods grown with pesticides.
Just 68% of the scientists did, which is unfortunately on the low side, but it’s a solid 40% more favorable than the general population. Any way you slice it, we have a lot of educating to do.
The responses to one other question regarding agriculture were similarly disappointing. When asked if it was safe to eat genetically modified foods, those that contain genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMOs, just over one in three people, 37%, said it was. This despite the fact that most Americans eat GMO corn and soybeans every day, and have for years, with no documented health problems.
The responses from the scientists were understandably far more favorable, with 88% saying that consuming GMOs were safe. That’s probably about as high a response as you’ll see, because it doesn’t seem like more than 90% of people agree on hardly anything.
I bring this up in part because I was talking to some tree and vine nursery industry folks at a recent conference, and they agreed that it was vital that people be educated on GMOs. Specifically, they need to be educated about how GMOs are just a different way of achieving the same goals we’ve had with our food supply for many years.
“Nature,” as many people understand it, went out the window in plant breeding many years ago. Have you ever seen a “natural” tomato? It looks like just a puny berry. It’s not even red, much less a purple so-called “natural heirloom,” so prized by foodies who disdain “artificial” breeding.
What’s it going to take to convince people that in a world of global trade where invasive pests roam free, causing havoc, that we need to bring plant science up to speed? Do we have to actually lose our citrus industry? It’s up to you and me and everyone who cares about the produce business to educate people about the benefits of modern scientific methods.
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