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Biotechnology is a growing industry that can often seem quite mysterious to many of us. We hear it mentioned in the news with headlines that usually read something like "Miracle Crop Will Feed and Nourish the World." Sounds great! But how are they going to do that? How much do we truly know about biotechnology -- its hazards, uses and potentials? Most of us only know a few biotech basics that we have heard in passing.
Biotechnology companies want to make sure that the next generation is more informed, however, so they've funded several new publications aimed at children. The most prominent of these industry-created materials is a children's magazine called Your World: Biotechnology and You (www.biotechinstitute.org). It is distributed free of charge to over 5,000 schools in the United States and Europe. Your World is sponsored and funded by the likes of Monsanto, Pfizer and Novartis- all big biotech firms.
Produced by the biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) food industries, such publications are touted as "educational materials" perfect for elementary through high school students.
Your World is published by The Biotechnology Institute, whose mission is to "engage, excite and educate as many people as possible, particularly young people, about biotechnology and its immense potential for solving human health and environmental problems."
These colorful magazines give a one-sided, biased look at the industry. They attempt to make biotech look fun and exciting; something children would want to get in on. The magazines don't mention any dangers or risks to our environment, or our health. Generally speaking, these "educational materials"-- which are sadly one of the few resources for teachers regarding biotechnology education -- give false and misleading information about biotech and GM foods.
Many activists are trying to keep these publications out of schools. Joanna Clark of the GM Free Network in Scotland www.gmfreescotland.net (where 600 schools were sent 84,000 copies of Your World) said in an email interview that Your World is "pure biotechnology propaganda."
"It will mislead young minds by using emotive references to starving people in the Third World and by confusing technology with science. This magazine is designed to make sure that the next generation is not going to ask the same awkward questions about the safety of GM foods...