Biotech plays important role in promoting, protecting Hawaii food

As I prepared for a recent trip to Hawaii, I went online to read in newspapers like the Star-Advertiser and in various social media outlets what, if anything, people there were saying about the "GMO debate."

As a public sector researcher and educator for more than 40 years, I have focused on food safety and nutrition. In recent years, the gap between the science and facts about GMO (genetically modified organism) foods and what is said about them in the "GMO drama" presented to the public has amazed me.

When I arrived in Hawaii, I had the pleasure of touring Oahu and Kauai to meet with fellow agricultural researchers, speak with local community leaders, and see firsthand the research and seed production operations that are playing central roles in this drama. And like most dramas, I found that the players are frequently fictionalized to make for more audience excitement — or in this case, agitation and concern.

There is a different picture of the GMO debate underway in Hawaii — found among reasoned people, academics and others you meet on the islands — than one might come away thinking just reading sensational news headlines or surfing social media channels with harsh, outrageous claims about mad agricultural scientists and corporations hell-bent on destroying the earth.

Proponents of agricultural technologies are not limited to "company scientists" but include a wide range of independent academic researchers, like myself, who have spent decades in laboratories and fields studying ways to improve crop production methods, increase food safety and reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture.

Those who see the benefits of biotechnology and other crop protection practices used and developed on the Hawaiian islands include conservation and environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy, anti-poverty groups like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a wide range of sustainable farming organizations seeking to address suffering in some of the poorest part of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Further, respected food-safety and health experts like the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association have extensively reviewed and endorsed the safety of foods from biotech crops. Many opponents of modern agriculture, such as "Babes Against Biotech," are making uninformed and false claims about important food safety issues and should not be characterized as food safety advocates or representative of local interests in Hawaii.

Peel back the layers and you’ll see mainland litigators, organic food industry marketing and other special interest groups that profit from spreading these fears, behind these campaigns.

In my many conversations with lifelong Hawaii residents, unlike the firestorms found on Facebook and Twitter, I found reasonable people who see the benefits modern agriculture can bring and the important role the Hawaiian islands play as a leading center for research in both biotech and conventional seed production. The people of Hawaii have reasonable questions for which there are reasonable answers found via responsible academic experts at the university and local community colleges.

Online, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and other government and academic sites offer an alternative to the shrill fear-mongering that dominates activist websites with well-researched and factual information about the extensive safety record behind these agricultural technologies.

Biotechnology and other modern agricultural tools can play an important role in helping promote and protect Hawaiian agriculture and food, while Hawaii can continue to play an important role in helping extend these benefits around the globe.