The newly formed US Council for Biotechnology Information, which consists of seven leading companies plus the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO; Washington, DC), launched a multimedia public campaign early in April aimed at sharing information primarily about agricultural biotechnology with the general public in the US and Canada. The $50 million program, which features a web site (http://www.whybiotech.org), television and print advertising, other informational materials, and a toll-free telephone service, will distribute safety and environmental data on commercial products and will develop white papers on a variety of related issues. “There is a need for those beyond the research, nutrition, and public health communities to have a better understanding of the whole spectrum of benefits to be gained from biotechnology,” says BIO President Carl Feldbaum. “We can accomplish this only by increasing awareness and fostering an open conversation with people.” The campaign is an effort to counteract what some perceive to be growing negative sentiments about biotechnology, especially related to food.