b'GMOWHILE MANY INagriculture showed collective outrage over the so-called Impossible Burger, science supporters missed a critical benefit hiding in the controversy. The Impossible Burger is one of the few consumer-facing companies that CONTROVERSY: proudly boasts GMO ingredientsand customers still flock to it.The team at Impossible Burger showcases the climate-saving benefits biotechnology can provide by showcasing the value of soy leghemoglobinthe key protein element that gives the A Case Study Impossible Burger its flavor and textureis a genetically engineer protein. Soy leghemoglobin is made by splicing soybean DNA into yeast, which is then produced in large-scale fermentation.Seeing this apparent marketing success, why arent GMOs in Science widely accepted?Frankly, because agriculturalistsfrom the farm gate, to the lab, to the desks of CEOshave done a bad job telling the story.I think its everybodys responsibility who is involved in agri-Literacy Lost culture to be involved in communicating, says Robb Fraley, who commercialized the first genetically modified soybean and now acts as a communicator for the industry. When I was growing up on a small farm in Illinois, more than half of the people who lived in the state were involved in agriculture. Today its less than 1%.Climate change, growing populationsIts the responsibility of everyone involved in food and agri-culture to reach out to the other 99% regarding the importance and less arable land means advancedof new scientific advances to increase food production and farming practices are more importantimprove the sustainability of farming, he continues.than ever before.Sonja Begemann The ChallengeThink back to the early 1990s when the FLAVR SAVR tomato was commercializedalbeit short lived. It carried promise to reduce waste and improve flavor, a promise that never came to fruition.When the first GMO product, the FLAVR SAVR tomato, came out people had no idea what GMO even meant, says Kurtis Baute, climate change activist who produces frequent videos promoting science. It was something that really came out of the dark for them, and it was surprising and scary for many. Because of that, we ended up shelving the idea.The long and short of it, if you need a reminder, is public backlash led to pulling FLAVR SAVR tomatoes from the shelfdespite the scientific reality there was no risk in consuming them. People didnt know what they were, and ignorance bred fear, which manifested itself into nixing the product.Fear lives on. Activist groups around the world are fighting against GMOs, despite what has now been more than 20 years of research indi-cating no adverse human or environmental effects.58/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2021'