GMOs

ldrosophila

I am not trying to start a bloodbath, I am genuinely distressed at the total lack of unbiased information. How is anyone supposed to form an educated opinion if the actual facts are so slim?

I think you hit the nail on the head unbiased. I could find study after study saying they were safe, and that would be refuted because it was supported by big Ag. I could find another study about GMO fed hamsters and that could be refuted because hamsters dont regularly drink soy milk. I think we are at a disadvantage here with both sides. I am always a grey person and think there is a place for GMO to improve crop yield but do think that Big Ag has a huge lobby influence. Keep yourself educated and try to do the best that you think is within reason for your family.

cephlove

Don't know of any studies proving that GMOs are harmful to health. I do know that there is a lot of concern over harm to the environment, reduced genetic variability of crops, etc.

FredDoyle

Ask yourself this: If GMOs are safe, then why does Monsanto spend millions upon millions of dollars to prevent the labeling of genetically modified foods? Use your brain. It's not that hard.

Probably for the same reason organic farmers don't want to be forced to label their products "sprayed with rotenone-pyrethrin" or many other pesticides they use. As soon as you have to label something, it becomes taboo to the non-critical thinkers and tin foil hat crowd.

richardheath

I can clearly see some people in this thread who are paid by the Monsanto

Yeah, I see how that works:

People saying stuff you don't like = those people are paid by Monsanto = You are totally free to ignore what they say.

It's much easier to do that than to factually counter what is being said.


[And no - I am not now nor have ever been paid by Monsanto.]

YaGigi

Care to watch a video or two?

.. the first is a farmer who reports his swine became sterile after being fed GMO feed ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eilDbdLAyFs&feature=share&list=PLA356B27A12D9489F

the second is a scary one about how if we ingest certain GMO food it "could" turn our bodies into pesticide factories like the modified food we eat ... truth or lies ... ????

http://youtu.be/T-IJikX1144

WHAT IS THE TRUTH??? We may never know or it could be years from now like we did with the TOBACCO industry that hid its findings from the public in order to make their billions!!!

Because pigs are normally fed organic food??

Stop believing everything you watch on youtube. use some critical thinking skills

Actually in some countries and regions people feed their animals with organic food. Because all of the food they have is organic.
I know it's hard to believe but real milk doesn't taste like that thing you buy in your supermarket.

PtheronJr

Double post.

PtheronJr

Monsanto is cartoonishly evil, but GMOs are fine and the people freaking out about GMOs are morons anyway because your food has been genetically modified since man figured out the secrets of subsistence farming, we just do it at a far more precise and direct way now.

Also, if you can, just once, post some piece of relevant information denouncing GMOs wholesale as a concept instead of, anecdotal evidence from random people feeding something GMOs and the other thing not-GMOs (which I guarantee you, are also GMO in some form or another), and how the former thing somehow grew cancer on its nuts and died a horrible death.

Ask yourself this: If GMOs are safe, then why does Monsanto spend millions upon millions of dollars to prevent the labeling of genetically modified foods? Use your brain. It's not that hard.

Because GMO in America right now is a bad word, they might as well write F**k all over the packaging, it has more to do with the fact that people are ignorant idiots than anything else.

beardmatthews

Hi there concerned,

In my scientific opinion (I do not have my degree yet, but it is a subject about which I have done a lot of research):–

* There is no evidence that I have come across that genetically modified organisms are any more harmful to humans that eat them than any 'natural' or artificially bred strains of crop. There is a lot of terribly unscientific trashing of GMO, not all of it is unfounded but a high proportion is biased either way.

* It is reasonable to assume that pharmaceutical and petrochemical companies have an interest in continued use of pesticides and GMO by producers.

* The pesticides used alongside GMOs such as Glyphosate etc. (in GMO 'systems' to be used in higher concentrations) have been demostrated in laboratory experiments conclusively to cause endocrine disruption in many species, and likely to have a significant effect in mammals such as ourselves, especially those that eat other animals (accumulation effect in tissues).

So, in terms of advice, it is VERY VERY important to wash fruit to remove pesticides (IDK how feasible it is to remove these chemicals from meats, I would hazard a guess that it is nearly impossible). And that articles of food such as corn, maize, wheat from GMO sources will likely have high concentrations of these demonstrably biologically disruptive chemicals within.

Your best bet is to go organic *where practical for your budget* and where possible to tighten regulations on the use of these chemicals on crops. (At the moment it is essentially a free-for-all for profiteers).

Kind regards,
Matthew.

KeithAngilly

I am not trying to start a bloodbath, I am genuinely distressed at the total lack of unbiased information. How is anyone supposed to form an educated opinion if the actual facts are so slim?

I know, I know, it's the internets. Some of us try.

Thanks for the article. I'll give it a look.

My skepticism stems from being raised in corn country. It was my understanding that almost all corn and soy were pretty much hybrids. I learned that over 20 years ago. I really do have a hard time believing something with so little evidence available is so overwhelming harmful, when basically we've been doing the same thing with selective breeding since domestication and agriculture began.

Is it because of the genetic tampering that people are concerned? I can see some genetic tampering would be worrying. But I have a hard time believing everything on clean eating sites. Period.

Plus the idea of the European Union banning them sounds just as much 'our farmers need revenue, let's make sure we can't buy from America' as concern over how healthy the food is.

wow, I think you really hit the nail on the head with that last comment.

I have two thoughts about GMO crops:

1. If folks want them labeled, they should be labeled. End of story.

2. GMO is a breeding technique, plain and simple. I personally am against it, because we just don't know all the consequences in the environment. I am not against it for health reasons. The health case against GMO's is empty and based entirely on fear, imho

Unfortunately, in the age of the interwebs, fear and hysteria travel much further than common sense.

KeithAngilly

"Your best bet is to go organic *where practical for your budget* and where possible to tighten regulations on the use of these chemicals on crops. (At the moment it is essentially a free-for-all for profiteers). "

Absolutely spot on. People should be more concerned about this than the GMO bogeyman. I tend to choose organic, but I am not kidding myself either. Organic can mean a lot of things in the marketplace.

DatMurse

Hi there concerned,

In my scientific opinion (I do not have my degree yet, but it is a subject about which I have done a lot of research):–

* There is no evidence that I have come across that genetically modified organisms are any more harmful to humans that eat them than any 'natural' or artificially bred strains of crop. There is a lot of terribly unscientific trashing of GMO, not all of it is unfounded but a high proportion is biased either way.

* It is reasonable to assume that pharmaceutical and petrochemical companies have an interest in continued use of pesticides and GMO by producers.

* The pesticides used alongside GMOs such as Glyphosate etc. (in GMO 'systems' to be used in higher concentrations) have been demostrated in laboratory experiments conclusively to cause endocrine disruption in many species, and likely to have a significant effect in mammals such as ourselves, especially those that eat other animals (accumulation effect in tissues).

So, in terms of advice, it is VERY VERY important to wash fruit to remove pesticides (IDK how feasible it is to remove these chemicals from meats, I would hazard a guess that it is nearly impossible). And that articles of food such as corn, maize, wheat from GMO sources will likely have high concentrations of these demonstrably biologically disruptive chemicals within.

Your best bet is to go organic *where practical for your budget* and where possible to tighten regulations on the use of these chemicals on crops. (At the moment it is essentially a free-for-all for profiteers).

Kind regards,
Matthew.

what research?
what degree? A PHD?

Mokey41

"Your best bet is to go organic *where practical for your budget* and where possible to tighten regulations on the use of these chemicals on crops. (At the moment it is essentially a free-for-all for profiteers). "

Absolutely spot on. People should be more concerned about this than the GMO bogeyman. I tend to choose organic, but I am not kidding myself either. Organic can mean a lot of things in the marketplace.

Organic is a term used to get you to spend more money on your food. There is virtually no regulation on organic food production and if anyone does get caught they usually just lose their certification and a most get a miniscule fine. The industry pretty much polices itself. I'm in vineyard management and we run some organic properties. I apply for certification, they send me the paperwork, 3 years later they come out and look around and I'm certified. Never see a soul again. It's totally a joke but the consumer is willing to pay the money so, hey, why not?

KeithAngilly

"Your best bet is to go organic *where practical for your budget* and where possible to tighten regulations on the use of these chemicals on crops. (At the moment it is essentially a free-for-all for profiteers). "

Absolutely spot on. People should be more concerned about this than the GMO bogeyman. I tend to choose organic, but I am not kidding myself either. Organic can mean a lot of things in the marketplace.

Organic is a term used to get you to spend more money on your food. There is virtually no regulation on organic food production and if anyone does get caught they usually just lose their certification and a most get a miniscule fine. The industry pretty much polices itself. I'm in vineyard management and we run some organic properties. I apply for certification, they send me the paperwork, 3 years later they come out and look around and I'm certified. Never see a soul again. It's totally a joke but the consumer is willing to pay the money so, hey, why not?

I hear ya'. I wish we would put half of the energy we spend on worrying about Monsanto to holding producers feet to the fire on this,