Health

Food fright

by Ben Geman

The battle over genetically modified food is coming to Boston. On March 24, anti-biotechnology activists kick off "Biodevastation 2000" -- a week of education, street theater, and protest over the perils of biotechnology in food and medicine.

Biodevastation's timing and location are hardly random -- it just so happens that on March 26, the Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual International Biotechnology Meeting and Exhibition conference opens at the Hynes Convention Center, drawing thousands from the industry to Boston.

Biodevastation organizers are planning a Copley Square rally -- followed by a march to the Hynes -- that will coincide with the industry conference's kickoff, followed by several days of protests and street theater. A two-day Biodevastation conference at Northeastern University on March 24 and 25 will form a "counter-conference" to the Hynes event.

Biotechnology critics claim that genetically modifying crops by inserting genes from one species into another can cause allergic reactions. There are also environmental problems associated with the practice -- for example, opponents say, modified crops designed to kill pests could harm other "unintended" species, and genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant crops can mix with other plants and end up creating stronger weeds.

Activists will also focus on issues including medical biotechnology and strategies for future advocacy. Even Biodevastation's subtitle -- "The 4th International Grassroots Gathering on Genetic Engineering: Resistance and Solutions to the Corporate Monopoly on Power, Food and Life" -- reflects its scope. "One of the goals is to democratize biotech," says Jessica Hayes, one of the event's organizers. "We are going places with science we never before imagined, and the public needs to be included in the decision-making."

For more information about Biodevastation 2000, visit http://www.biodev.org; e-mail nerage@sover.net; or call (617) 524-7841 or (877) 9RESIST.