Letter: Engineered crops

Sir: We read that Professor Pusztai has admitted that the claimed results of his research into genetically modified food were misleading ("Researcher in genetic food scare is suspended from job", 13 August). To quote from the same article: "Dan Verakis, spokesman for Monsanto, said the retraction proved consumers had nothing to worry about."

It proves nothing of the sort. There is an essential difference between absence of proof of risk and proof of absence of risk. So far, we have the former. What we need in this overwhelmingly important issue is the nearest we can get to the latter.

PATRICIA ATYEO

Church Hanborough

Oxfordshire