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Jody Clarke, 202.331.2252

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Washington, D.C., September 7, 2004—The Competitive Enterprise Institute announces a new book on biotech foods and the future of agriculture by Senior Fellow Gregory Conko and co-author Dr. Henry I. Miller.  The Frankenfood Myth: How Protest and Politics Threaten the Biotech Revolution (www.frankenfoodmyth.com) takes a clear look at one of the most controversial issues of our time and offers a sober assessment on how best to bring the benefits of new agricultural technology to those who need it most.

In this provocative and meticulously researched book, Miller and Conko trace the origins of gene-splicing, its applications, and the backlash from consumer groups and government agencies against so-called “Frankenfoods”—from America to Zimbabwe.  They explain how a “happy conspiracy” of anti-technology activism, bureaucratic overreach, and counterproductive industry maneuvering has resulted in a regulatory framework in which there is an inverse relationship between the degree of product risk and degree of regulatory scrutiny.

The authors go on to suggest a way to emerge from this morass, one that stems in no small part from a cynical lobbying strategy by the very biotechnology companies that now find themselves so frequently attacked.  They propose a variety of business and policy reforms that can unlock the potential of this cutting-edge science, while ensuring appropriate safeguards and moving environmentally friendly products into the hands of farmers and consumers.

The Frankenfood Myth is available at bookstores everywhere or at various online booksellers.  Members of the news media may obtain a review copy by contacting James Lingle of Praeger (a division of Greenwood Publishing Group) at 203-226-3571 or [email protected].