Debates about the labelling of genetically modified food are driven less by health concerns than by distrust of the agriculture industry's business practices
Are Genetically Engineered Petunias in Your Garden?
It started in Finland. In mid-April, the Finnish food authority Evira announced it had identified genetically-modified (GE) petunias in Finland. The award-winning orange 'African Sunset' as well as eight other petunia varieties that had already been planted were found to be genetically modified. Since GM plants are banned from cultivation in the European Union, Evira said in a statement that it was withdrawing all plants and seed stocks.
It took over a couple of weeks for the international implications to sink in. 'African Sunset' and the 'Trilogy Series' of petunias had been widely distributed across the gardening world. 'African Sunset' itself had received recognition as a much-valued All-America Selection on 9 November 2013:
