Genetically-modified foods — a big step forward or a danger to our health?

You may have heard recently that licenses have been granted to farmers in specific areas of Australia to "trial" the planting of genetically-modified (GM) canola seeds. While that may have come as a surprise to many, what surprised me was how little debate it shook up.

The subject is worthy of discussion and it raises a lot of questions. For example, exactly how much research is going to be carried out across Australia before we start covering entire states of our country with GM crops?

Recently I was invited to join a group of chefs to stand in opposition against the use of GM foods and so was forced to give this subject a lot of thought. I would never choose to oppose anything that could potentially help millions of people around the world, but at the same time felt that there was a real need for greater discussion and open information in relation to the whole process. I wanted to know who owned these companies producing the seeds, what process they were using, and exactly what all the pros and cons were.

Being a traditionalist when it comes to food quality, taste, presentation and safety, GM food does — if I'm honest — scare the living daylights out of me, and of course a lot of other people too. But when I read or hear about the advantages of GM foods it does sound fantastic, partly because of these qualities and benefits:

• Frost resistant

• Development of stronger plants

• Drought resistant

• Better yields

• Disease resistant

• Higher levels of production

• Greater profits

• Hopefully more hungry people fed in the world

It's all great stuff and therefore well worth exploring, just as long as it's done safely with plenty of factual, well-balanced and documented research behind it. We need to proceed with caution to prevent causing unintended harm to human health, the environment and future generations.

Some concerns which have been documented are:

• Unusually high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars in trials done overseas, which are as-yet unexplained.

• Possible reduced effectiveness of pesticides in neighbouring areas.

• Allergy concerns. Many children around the developed world have developed allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create new allergies or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals.

• The unknown effect on human health. There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.

It all seems unnatural, very scientific and complicated to me, yet GM proponents tell me in fact it's not unnatural, merely speeding up evolution! An article written by the well-respected Professor Sir Gustav Nossal also went some way to alleviate my concerns, stating that after 10 years his panel was satisfied with the safety of the GM canola crop.

But then other doubts spring up — namely, the possibility of monopolisation and commercial exploitation by the large-size corporations handling the canola seeds. With farmers forced to buy from only them, these companies look sure to reap the benefits from the process.

My belief is we should halt further GM food trials in Australia, debate it more, get all the answers cleared up before we push ahead. For me, there is just far too much at stake.

Your say: Are you sitting on the fence on the subject of GM foods? Do you agree there is a shortage of information and debate on this topic? Share your thoughts below.