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D. TOET, Nestle, Vevey, Switzerland

No other innovation in the food chain has met with such widespread commotion as the introduction of genetic modifications in our major agricultural food crops. No other innovation has made more painfully clear the distance between the scientific and technological state of the art of today's food production, and the way consumers perceive their food is being produced. Nor has any innovation managed to bring together such a wide and diverse array of opponents, each with their individual agendas and degrees of transparency. All this indicates that this innovation is indeed very powerful and holds tremendous promises, but at the same time inspires fear among many. The opportunities and advantages that a responsible application of gene technology will deliver to consumers and our environment are such that we simply cannot afford to ignore them. At the same time, we should also realize that no technology in itself will deliver a solution for all technological challenges in today's world. If any lesson can be drawn from the past experiences with the introduction of gene technology, it is that the only way to let consumers profit from innovation is by having full transparency about both benefits and risks that come with innovation. With respect to gene technology, that means that we are now at the beginning of a long process to restore the mistakes of the past, and to provide the facts that will allow for a balanced decision on how and where to apply this technology in the food chain. That gene technology will find a place in the food chain - based on the benefits it can deliver to individual consumers - is not the question. The question is instead what, where and when.