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In a recent open letter to the British public, academics, activists and Hollywood stars warned of the dangers of GM foods. Here, anti-GM campaigner Robyn O’Brien and scientist Dr. Gia Aradottir debate the advantages – and possible dangers – of genetically modifying our crops.

Robyn O’Brien began investigating what goes into food in America when her own child suffered an allergic reaction. She argues that the introduction of GM crops to the US in the mid-90s and the massive increase in food allergies since then isn’t a coincidence.


‘There has been an unprecedented increase in a range of diseases including allergies.’

“The landscape of childhood has changed. It is now much harder for our children to live a life free from food allergies, diabetes and obesity. Nowhere is that more obvious than in America.

Something is going wrong with the health of our children – in the US and in the UK, ours will be the first generation of kids expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

In a Letter from America, which we presented to Downing Street yesterday, campaigning groups and individuals like myself are urging British parents to take notice of what is happening in our country, so it might not happen in yours. I am urging you: do not accept genetically modified crops.

Maybe you’ve not thought about it before. Maybe you’re asking, why?

There are a lot of reasons to exercise precaution around GM crops, but for me, the absence of any long-term science around their impact on health is one of the most urgent.

Ill health impacts our lives in so many important ways. Our children’s health is already changing the face of American families and our economy. We spend 18 cents of every dollar on health care, managing disease. The pharmaceutical companies can’t keep up with demand, and now there are shortages for drugs used to treat cancers.

I believe the solution can be found in the kitchen, not the medicine cabinet. When our youngest child had a life-threatening allergic reaction to a breakfast of blue yoghurt and eggs, we joined the growing number of American families dealing with this condition. It changed everything. I quickly learned that today, 1 in 13 children in the United States has a food allergy. I looked into the ingredients in our food supply and realized that there was so much that we hadn’t been told about genetically engineered ingredients and the chemicals that are applied to them.”