The collusion of corporations and governments to push genetically engineered food is creating an Orwellian future, says American consumer advocate and Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

At an all-day Feb. 16 conference in Ottawa on the impact of genetic manufacturing on food, people and the planet, Nader warned that ``corporate science`` is driving the GM revolution.

He said it is a science that is secretive, product and profit oriented, lacking in peer review and often supported by taxpayer dollars.

And it is producing questionable products, Nader told a news conference.

``Biotech crops are based on a very thin scientific foundation,`` he said.

Little is known about their long-term effects on health or the environment and, with government assistance through regulations and patents, they increase the power of large corporations over farmers, Nader said.

The man who successfully campaigned in the 1960s and 1970s for safer automobiles said there is a parallel between his earlier campaign and his current target. In both cases, the technology of the industry had moved into the market faster than science can evaluate its merits and long-term effects.

He drew hundreds to his speech closing the conference, organized by the anti-GMO Council of Canadians.