In an age when the White House officials can ignore the science of climate change by choosing not to open their e-mail, it's can be frightening to conceive what big business might doing to the world's food supply through genetic modification.

The response from a group of four panelists at a forum held last week at the Salem Public Library on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) seemed unanimous: Be informed.

GMOs are generally defined as any organism containing genes from a different species.

"(Both the government and business) seem to lay the responsibility at the feet of the other," said Rick North, a project director for Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, who was speaking on behalf of consumers on the panel. "They're playing ring-around-the-rosy with who is responsible for our safety, and I think it's time to shine a bright light on genetically engineered foods."

Untangling the issues around GMOs is made more difficulty because it riles so many people spanning a wide spectrum of interests from science and ethics to religion and government, said David Harry, associate director of the Oregon State University Outreach in Biotechnology program.

"We need to evaluate all tools on their relative merits," he said. "In the face of continuing population growth, climate change and economic crises we cannot afford to accept or reject tools blindly."

"Last year, about 92 percent of the soy, 86 percent of the cotton and 80 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. came from genetically-modified crops," said Lisa Weasel, an associate professor of biology at Portland State University, and author of Food Fray. The book examines the pros and cons of GMOs from a variety of perspectives.

Weasel discovered an increasing shortage of organic seeds as she conducted her research for the book.

"I talked to several farmers in my research who stated that they didn't choose to use GMO seeds, but that it was what was available," she said.

In recent years, Monsanto, one of the world's largest producers of GMOs, bought some of the largest seed-production companies in the world, shrinking the number of outlets for organic seed supplies.

Even when seeds arrive at a farm unmodified, it can be difficult to safeguard them from contamination by nearby genetically-modified crops.

"Coexistence is not very probable at all. These things spread either by pollination or human error," said North.

In the grand scheme, genetically-modified foods have only been sold in supermarkets for a short time - since the mid-1990s - but the newness of the technology shouldn't breed fear, said Terry Whit, executive director of Oregonians for Food and Shelter.

"Worldwide we will be facing a food crisis in the next 50 years. Researchers believe, by the year 2050, we will need to double output of food production in the world on fewer acres of land and, likely, with less water," Whit said.

He added that most of the positive effects derived from genetic modification benefit crop producers. Farmers save about $6 billion a year in pesticide treatments by injecting weevil-killing pesticides into some crops, he said.

Weasel questioned the necessity of genetic modification, particularly lacking of research comparable research in areas such as biofertilizers and biopesticides.

"We need more public research research across the board," she said.

Above all, North cautioned, it's important for consumers to educate themselves until there is more solid research and information on GMO effects.

"Educate yourself, participate, and do not just be a passive consumer," he said.