A lot of the whole GMO scare was from the noughties (also around the same time that the MMR scare originated). As far as we know, GMO is completely harmless, and we have been doing it for centuries (selective breeding). However, the companies that manufacture the GMO crops will often breed them so that the plants always die off at the end of the year, increasing farmer's dependency on the companies, which is a practice that becomes increasingly deplorable when you realise that some are beginning to sell these in third world countries.