The fact of being on a whole new battlefield makes things difficult. It is difficult to defend yourself in the world of social media, where a simple sentence from a television or film star recorded in a sound clip can have a lot of influence. We would like to reply to it by presenting scientific arguments, but that sort of information is not easy to convey in a few lines in a tweet.
Our industry is dealing with another challenge: when we try to respond, we are attacked right away and accused of speaking for our commercial interests without any concern for the well-being of society.
That is where our government and regulatory agencies may have a role to play, by agreeing to debate the issue, on condition that the science and underlying facts are presented. If someone then chooses to not consume a certain product, it will be up to him to do that, but there is no need to call into question the safety of the entire production.