Letter: GM common sense

Sir: I was interested to read that "GM foods are safe to eat" (leading article, 5 May). Consumers and a respected contingent of scientists continue to argue that the long-term effect of gene splicing is too unpredictable to be safe. And trials cannot be conducted without cross-contamination of surrounding crops, making the conversion to GM crops a one-way road.

Consumers do not, by and large, want ever-cheaper and higher-tech food. They want food they can trust and feed happily to children. Distrust of the existing food chain is pushing families into the expense of buying organic produce. Money would be much better spent converting more arable land to organic status, thus reducing the cost and pollution of importing produce to satisfy this growing demand.

LISA BARLOW

Liverpool