Millions of people die of hunger in Southern Africa every year, but when prefix = st1 /Zambiawas offered thousands of tons of free maize by theUS, the government politely said no. "We don't know whether the food is safe," said Zambia's Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel. His worries are shared by countries around the world that are  _ aboutAmerica's genetically modified (GM) crops. Just last week, EU member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from theUS. Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed   plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other. But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature. This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species. They can also create food with special characteristics, such as "golden rice", which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk. "If left to me, I would certainly not eat GM foods," said Scottish scientist Arpad Pusztai. "We are putting new things into food which haven't been eaten before. The effects on the immune system are not easy to predict." At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods "are not likely to present risks for human health". But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways. Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops. What's the author's attitude?
Supportive. Neutral. Doubtful. Critical.