>People want to believe that there are easy, clear controls on this stuff. That we can stay on the safe system we have now if we wish. I have been convinced fo

>People want to believe that there are easy, clear controls on this stuff. That we can stay on the safe system we have now if we wish. I have been convinced for a while that it should be possible, easy even, to separate GMOs into two categories: * those which are designed to kill something, be it an insect, fungus, bacterium, or whatever, by producing a chemical or something reasonably similar * those which are designed for any other reason than killing pests I think it isn't unfair that the first category should see more suspicion than the second category. A poison, regardless of what species it's directed at, is still a poison. I also think it would be reasonable to have separate labeling for the first category, but not for the second category, since it should be possible to test for foods being in the first category (by e.g. GC/MS). One thing that we've learned from the history of antibiotics is that quick-fix chemical solutions to pest control are really hard to get right. In particular, an unexpected antimicrobial compound can interfere with existing microbiota of some person or animal; particularly if they are immune-deficient this is a serious concern.