DEBUNKING MISINFORMATION ABOUT FOOD.

Not only the general public, but particularly also politicians and opinion makers judge the safety and desirability of technologies on information that comes free from many media, often provided by self-proclaimed experts. Few people take the time and effort to check the facts. The result is often that beneficial technologies are dismissed while these benefits have the potential of increasing the standards of living. While in some parts of the world the benefits are seen and the technologies accepted and applied, on other parts they are not, even in cases where these technologies have the potential of solving huge problems. The use of genetically modified (GM) food and the use of irradiation to preserve food for example, are heavily emotionalised and in parts of the world antis tend to win the battles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]