Genetically Modified Foods: Recent Developments: Major Controversies

Though not the first controversy, one of the more public scientific debates about GM food took place in England during 1998. At the center of the controversy was Dr. Arpad Pusztai, author of more than 270 research articles on food safety and member of the Rowett Institute, one of the United Kingdom’s leading food safety research labs. Pusztai appeared on a television broadcast and declared that GM potatoes had stunted growth and suppressed immunity in rats. He speculated that the GM device used to carry the new gene into the potatoes might be the source of the problem. Following his television appearance, politicians, scientists, and the biotechnology industry vigorously attacked Pusztai and his research. The Rowett Institute removed Pusztai from research projects and his employment contract was subsequently not renewed at the end of 1998.