The Salinas Californian reported on a meeting in Monterey County in which UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension specialist Peggy Lemaux urged care when considering bans on genetically modified organisms.
Lemaux spoke to the Monterey County Agricultural Advisory Committee, which is deciding wether to recommend a GMO ban to the county supervisors. According to reporter Dawn Withers, Lemaux said county officials must be careful about what rules will govern the use of genetically modified organisms.
"When working with biological systems, you can never guarantee something won't move (beyond a field)," she was quoted.
Lemaux noted that GMOs are already part of most of the foods we eat. In 2006, 61 percent of corn acreage in the United States was genetically modified, along with 89 percent of soybeans and 83 percent of cotton. About 75 percent of all processed foods contain a genetically modified ingredient.
Some members of the audience quoted in the article were skeptical about Lemaux's information.
"The really dark side was not presented here," the article quoted Lorna Moffat, one of the residents who have requested the ban.