Alex Renton comments:'All the talk of genetically modifying crops would be unnecessary if the supermarkets - and consumers - weren't so wasteful…does Britain need to reach for high-tech solutions such as genetic modification and nano-technology? The experts' consensus is that GM is no magic bullet; it could aid the small-scale farmers on whom the developing world depends, but is less relevant in a mature agricultural economy. Tackling waste could do a lot for food security. Hilary Benn, Defra's minister, likes to tell people that the entire international food aid programme amounts to only a fifth of what a single developed nation throws away in a single year.'

The Observer 8/2/09