Practice1<br/>IfchiefexecutivesofleadingU.S.agri-biotechcompanieshavebeensufferingfromheartburnlately,itisn’tbecauseofanythingthey’vebeeneating.Rather,it’stheunsettlingknowledgethatlong-simmeringEuropeananxietiesovergeneticallymodified(g.m.)crops,likeocean-hoppingviruses,arespreadingacrosstheworld.<br/><alone></alone>UnlikeBritons,whoseconcernsaboutwhattheyeathavebeenontheriseeversince“madcowdisease”(eventhoughithadnothingtodowithgeneticengineering),Americanshaveseemedindifferenttog.m.foods.Iffoodmakerscannolongercountonthepublic’sunquestioningacceptanceoftheirproducts,it’snotjustbecauseofactivisttheatricsandshrillagitprop.Withbillionsofdollarsatrisk,thebiotechindustryhasbeguntofightback,formingcorporatealliancesandlaunchingamajorp.r.effortthatincludeslobbying,newresearcheffortstostillpublicfearsandTV,radioandnewspaperads.Sofar,theregulatorshaveapproveddozensofgeneticallymodifiedplantsforhumanconsumption.Butifpublicpressuregrows,itmaybeforcedtogoslowerinthefuture.Onepossibility:theFDAcouldbeginapplyingtog.m.foodsthepowersitalreadyhastoregulatefoodadditives.Byoverreactingtofearsfannedbywell-fedconsumersintheindustrializedworld,foodproducersmightuprootanindustrythatcouldsomedayprovidebillionsofpeopleintherestoftheworldwithcropstheydesperatelyneed.