At the end of the day if you don’t think it’s something to be concerned about there is a whole internet of other things you can go worry about (like whether or not ceiling cat will ever truly forgive correct useage of the English language) or you could of course actually add to the conversation and edumacate us on how and why allergies arise in the first place (it seems a pretty ridiculous claim in the first place that nobody involved in the discussion has bothered to learn how, or why, allergies arise in the first place – I’m sure we’d be enthralled by your knowledge though)

Go find something else to worry about, like sterility inducing fire-retardant chemicals in the food chain.

Ewan, here’s an antidote to your EU embarrassment. Just think about the United States’ rate of acceptance of evolution and you should be cured of your geographical anxiety. Or at least the pro-US aspect of it.

So far, no one has noticed something REALLY OBVIOUS about this white strawberry story. Anyone care to venture a guess before I tell all?

I get more embarassed to be European every day, perhaps I should forgo dual citizenship for any future offspring and get on the fast-track to US citizenship.

2. You wrote: “Allergic reactions from traditionally bred fruits isn’t unheard of”. Indeed. In fact many food plants, including rice and wheat, are a source of health problems, fortunately only for a limited number of us. And (classical) plant breeding can increase the problem. A well known example is a celery that contained eight times more psoralen than usual. For more, and a interesting piece on plant breeding and allergies, see here .

3. Ewan Ross is right, but his “perhaps” is wrong! In Europe, the anti-GMO movement is also targeting what they call “clandestine” or “hidden” GMOs, particularly herbicide resistant maize and sunflower produced by mutagenesis. They are assisted in this, in some way, by the European Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms which defines a GMO as “an organism, with the exception of human beings, in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination” whereby “the techniques listed in Annex I A, part 2, are not considered to result in genetic modification”, those techniques being “(1) mutagenesis, (2) cell fusion (including protoplast fusion) of plant cells of organisms which can exchange genetic material through traditional breeding methods”.

4. The day when ordinary crossing followed by selection will be challenged is coming. Somebody (you? Biodiv?) flagged “10 foods for the future”. Food No. 1 is: “Ancient grains: We’re talking kamut, spelt, amaranth, teff and other grains that haven’t been altered by plant science for commercial purposes like bigger yields and pest resistance. Proponents say ancient grains are more flavourful and richer in nutrients.”

I ate a few this morning, actually! Some very odd flavors in there.