Whether you like them or not, genetically modified ingredients
are hard to avoid in the food supply--they’re found in most
processed foods in the U.S. and elsewhere. These crops--
generally things like cotton, soy, and corn--are tweaked in labs
so that they’re immune to pest-killing products made by
companies like Monsanto. The pesticides used on the crops can be
harmful to humans, and scientists have questioned the safety of
modifying crops in the first place. A British company called
Oxitec has a plan to ditch pesticides and GMO crops, instead
using genetic modification to eliminate the bugs that feed on
certain crops like broccoli, cabbage, and fruit. What could
possibly go wrong? In a recent story, the Daily Mail proclaims
that "millions of GM insects developed by British scientists
could be released into food crop fields without proper safety
checks." It’s not that the company is being allowed to release
its insects onto crops without any oversight at all, but the
company has reportedly lobbied to ensure