Ralph Nader

About the author: Ralph Nader is an internationally known consumer advocate, lawyer, and author. He has founded many organizations, including the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and Public Citizen. His books include Taming the Giant Corporation and Who's Poisoning America. He was a candidate for president of the United States in 2000.

Spurred by corporate greed, the technology of genetic engineering is outpacing understanding in the sciences that underpin it. Selling genetically engineered foods is ethically questionable as long as they present threats of unknown magnitude to the environment and human health. Regulation of such foods by U.S. government agencies is weak, and most academics are too closely involved with industry to criticize it. Farmers and consumers, however, are becoming more wary of these products.

Genetic engineering —of food and other...