The real GM food scandal – VB and notes
a cover story – an article publicised on the cover of a magazine and therefore a key reason for readers to buy the publication
misplaced – inappropriate, unwise
to moralise / moralize – to comment on / explain / interpret matters of right and wrong, typically with an (unjustified / insensitive) air of superiority
regulations – rules made and maintained by an authority
precautionary – adj – taken to prevent sth undesirable happening
as such – with these exact figures or words
to take root – to become established / fixed
to be led to believe …. – to be encouraged to think sth that may not be true
persistent – adj – lasting for a long time or difficult to get rid of
seldom – adv – rarely, infrequently, not often
be in line with – to correspond to, be in accordance with
be out of line with – not to correspond to, not be in accordance with
Word order for the sake of emphasis: Seldom has public perception been more out of line with the facts….
resource-poor – with low levels of income. Countries that used to be termed ‘developing’ or ‘poor’ are now often referred to as ‘resource-poor’, reflecting their low levels of income. This includes most African countries, some Asian countries and Latin America. Over 80 per cent of the world’s population lives in resource-poor countries.
a hectare – 10,000 square metres
pest-resistant – adj – of crops / food – able to resist the attacks / ravages of destructive insects / animals
thereby – formal /old-fashioned adverb – as a result of which / that
staple – adj before a noun – basic / main / standard / important / regular
eg Potatoes are a staple vegetable in a British diet
time-consuming – adj – requiring a lot of time to do
a shred – a very small amount of
there is not a shred of any evidence of = there is no proof whatsoever
to undergo – to be subjected to
conducted – carried out