Transparency is the best way to overcome people’s opposition to genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), says Jack Bobo, a keynote speaker at [the September 2016] NZ Bio conference in Auckland.
Mr Bobo is the chief communications officer for US-based synthetic biology company Intrexon…
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Mr Bobo, a former US State Department biotech adviser, says New Zealanders use GMOs daily in the food they eat – in beer, wine and cheese – without knowing it because labelling policies don’t require it to be disclosed.
“If labelling policy hides that from consumers, people don’t know it’s important to them,” he says. “Transparency is ultimately what is going to help us solve the problem because you can’t have trust without transparency.”
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“Scientists need to stop telling people what they do and tell them why they do it. I’ve met a lot of people who don’t trust government or big business but they all love science.
“It’s about identifying shared values, building trust and delivering benefits. If you can’t deliver a benefit, you can’t be surprised if someone doesn’t want something.”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Public will overcome GMO fears when they realise benefits – US expert
