The granddaughter of the father of the Green Revolution has a bone to pick with the mother of Apple.
Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, joined eleven other “science and advocate” moms across the country in co-signing a letter to celebrity moms, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah Michelle Gellar, regarding their opposition to agricultural biotechnology.
Paltrow and her celebrity mom Blythe Danner went to Capitol Hill earlier this month to lobby for mandatory, federal GMO labeling. She said she wasn’t there “as an expert” but as a mother.
But Borlaug and others like her are both moms and experts who have looked at the science and want the public to know GMOs are completely safe.
“Certain celebrities have misled thousands of parents into thinking that vaccines are harmful, and we see the same pattern of misinformation repeating itself here,” said Borlaug and her co-signers, including leading biotech researcher Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam and science activist Kavin Senapathy. “When GMOs are stigmatized, farmers and consumers aren’t able to benefit from much-needed advancements like plants with increased nutrients, or plants that can adapt to changing environmental stresses.”
The science-advocate moms ended their letter with an invitation to the celebrity moms to learn more about biotech farming. They wrote:
You have the opportunity to influence millions of people, so please use that influence responsibly, and ensure that your advocacy is supported by facts, not fear. Contact any or all of the undersigned, chat with farmers who grow biotech plants, or visit a college campus and talk with experts. We’re happy to discuss how this breeding method of genetic engineering could be used in harmony with many other approaches to help feed the world’s growing population, protect our environment, and preserve the Earth’s natural resources for all of our children.