FOR all we know, genetically-modified food may well be as safe as Tony Blair seeks to assure us it is by saying he eats it himself. But, the trouble is, we don't know.

What we do know, however, is that a survey of leading bioscientists showed only half of them backed GM food, that MPs have banned it from their own canteens at Westminster and the stuff can end up in food without people being aware - as, it seems, happened with GM-soya being found in Linda McCartney sausages and vegetarian mince.

We remember how the last government tried to pour cold water on public concern over BSE.

Indeed Mr Blair's intervention last night harks back to ex-Tory agriculture minister John Gummer's burger-munching-for-the-media attempt to convince people beef was safe.

As a result there is now the suspicion that, like its predecessor, this government is too close to the food industry.

And the disclosure that billionaire supermarket tycoon, science minister Lord Sainsbury, for 11 years owned the company with the worldwide patent for a key gene used in the GM process only adds to the public's doubts. This is despite his holding having been switched to a blind trust when he joined the government, for he will still eventually benefit from its success.

It is such concern - the people's concern - that Tony Blair should be listening to over GM food.

Instead of giving it his blessing, he should be ordering caution with possibly even a freeze on GM food; clear and mandatory labelling of all the food into which the process has already been introduced and certainly more independent research. If proved wrong, he could, like Mr Gummer and his dumped government, end up with damaging egg on his face.

But he should already be aware that even his prime ministerial backing for so-called Frankenstein food is really worth nothing against all the prevailing uncertainty, especially when it is shared by many scientists.

The whole business needs evaluating - to the public's satisfaction - before the imprimatur of Downing Street or anyone else can be believed.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.