When Celebrity And Science Collide: Hollywood And The Anti-Biotechnology Food Movement

Julie Kelly, cooking instructor, food writer, blogger and a Mom who lives in the Chicago area. In 2015, she got passionate about GMOs. Kelly is a contributing writer to the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Huffington Post, The Hill and other media outlets. | March 2, 2017

• Hollywood is in our homes daily, often spreading misconceptions about science, and GE crops in particular
• Gary Hirshberg, founder of Stonyfield Organic and Just Label It, is the key celebrity organizer
• Gwyneth Paltrow has emerged as the face of “celebrity moms” who question the safety of GE foods
• Mark Ruffalo questions GE foods but also rejects biotechnological solutions beyond food, such as the gene-edited mosquito that could curtail the Zika virus
• Celebrity misinformation campaigns have filled a void created by the agricultural and food industries, which have been reticent to defend the science of biotechnology
• While the Internet and social media are valuable tools for disseminating information about complicated subjects like science and agriculture, it has also given rise to a modern-day monster: the expert celebrity
• From movie stars to television chefs, a cadre of self-promoting yet often ill-informed celebrities are influencing the public discussion about topics way beyond their expertise, particularly consequential issues like vaccines and biotechnology .......More Here