Hawaii backs off ban on genetic coffee

By Mark Niesse
ASSOCIATED PRESS

7:42 p.m. March 5, 2008

HONOLULU – Hawaii won't ban genetically altered coffee, a decision that worries growers of the prized Kona coffee brand who want to keep it pure.

State lawmakers shelved a bill Wednesday that would have prohibited growing genetically modified coffee in Hawaii until 2012. Instead, they want to order a study into the science, benefits and dangers of genetically enhanced crops.

Coffee farmers worried that genetically modified coffee could contaminate expensive Kona blends, which are only grown on Hawaii's Big Island and exported worldwide.

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