Genetically Modified Fish....WTF

Italianyc84

You really think the options are GM food or eating wild berries?? I don't eat too much meat, but what I do eat comes from small, local farms (and I live in a big city). So do all of my vegetables and fruits (except for things like avocados, which don't grow where I live, but I still buy them organic). All grains, nuts, etc I buy in "bulk", and they are all organic (I do keep some cans around, but those are also organic). I know the source of ALL the food I eat. Meat isn't the sole focus of my meal (for both health and financial reasons), and I eat locally. You don't have to be a millionaire to avoid the crap they put into foods!

Elizabeth_C34

This is directed at the folks who are concerned about conservation and status of fisheries:

As someone who is doing a Ph.D. in fisheries biology and who works worldwide with government management agencies and international fisheries scientists, I can tell you that not all fish stocks are being fished to extinction. In fact, there's a lot of work being done by thousands of people to avoid it and to promote sustainable fishing practices. We've come a very long way in the last 30 years, but we still have a ways to go. NOAA has an extensive list that gets revised annually on the status of certain species:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/

Stock assessments are done all the time by scientists and teams of scientists around the world. Some species that are commercially and ecologically important have annual assessments across multiple agencies who coordinate with each other. Others are biannual surveys, and some low-risk low-grade species are surveyed every 5 years. I urge your educate yourself about how our fish gets to the table. By research, I mean going to legitimate science to understand this stuff, not to reading articles that do not cite peer-reviewed research published in fisheries science literature.

Here are several websites that you can go to find out more:

http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/IFD/ifd_index.html
http://www.iccat.int/en/
http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/oceanreport/international.html
http://www.fisheries.org/afs/

joseph9

You really think the options are GM food or eating wild berries??

Much of your organic food was genetically modified by humans, just more crudely. Wild berries weren't.

Of course, the berries were genetically modified by natural selection, coding errors, and cosmic radiation.

My point was just that I'm for a world where we can all choose the level of GM we're comfortable with. If you dig organic, good on you. If I like pink grapefruit, good for me.

Aross83

Much of your organic food was genetically modified by humans, just more crudely. Wild berries weren't.

Of course, the berries were genetically modified by natural selection, coding errors, and cosmic radiation.

My point was just that I'm for a world where we can all choose the level of GM we're comfortable with. If you dig organic, good on you. If I like pink grapefruit, good for me.
Edited by joseph9 on Fri 10/21/11 10:25 AM


I agree if you are comfortable with it thats cool. But we should be able to make the choice. and all GM Food Should be labeled as so.

Aross83

http://blog.fooducate.com/2009/08/03/guess-whats-in-the-picture-foodlike-substance/


Check this out.. Do you really want to eat this???

amycal

No way in hell im eating Genetically modified fish. Sorry but after i watched Food Inc I will no longer eat chicken. And i love chicken. thats all i would eat. No more for me unless its kosher or organic. If people take a stand and buy organic it will become less expensive over time.

I haven't seen Food Inc but have heard about it. I agree with what you said - if more of us buy food the way it should be grown/raised there will be more farmers supplying it and the price should go down. For now I think it is worth the extra money to buy locally raised grass-fed beef and pastured chicken and pork. I just got back from my Farmer's market. As the old saying goes "an ounce or prevention is worth a pound of cure." I don't have health problems yet and I don't want them so I am committed to eating good food.

lackie09

Hey,
has anyone else seen this and think its absolutly as crazy as i do...

http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/10/13/fda-supports-selling-genetically-modified-salmon-report


If you have not seen the Documentary Food Inc.. you should absolutly watch it..
Every American should know what goes on with the food we Eat. You can watch it on Netflix Instantly. Check it out!

Actually, too many people aren't having too many kids. Yes, the world is very populated but the US and many other developed countries aren't having enough children to sustain human life.

^^^^^^ what she said!

HMonsterX

Aross, you better be careful If you carry on stopping eating things that have a tiny, tiny possibility of harming us you'll end up with not eating anything...

Some people simply dont WANT to know what's in their food. I got crucified for telling people about cheese mites, they said they'd rather than didn't know.

Aross83

HMonsterX
I understand some people dont what to know and thats fine. I choose to know. Im not taking it to the extreme. you have to pick and choose the best things to eat organic. If i could afford to i would eat 100% organic but its just not realistic with my budget.
trust me i wont have a problem not eating!

PB67

ONOEZ Chemicals!

For those that actually believe that organic food is inherently healthier, I suggest you watch this lecture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxE9sYatPAs

HMonsterX

HMonsterX
I understand some people dont what to know and thats fine. I choose to know. Im not taking it to the extreme. you have to pick and choose the best things to eat organic. If i could afford to i would eat 100% organic but its just not realistic with my budget.
trust me i wont have a problem not eating!

I understand your view.

But in your OP you stated that everyone should know. Everyone doesn't WANT to know!

_GlaDOS_

I think it's fine if they want to sell genetically modify food, BUT ONLY if it's labeled. It should be left to the consumers to decide whether they want to save money on GMO foods, or spend more on the "real thing".



We all know in the US won't put labels on them though.

Must. avoid. this. thread.

I did just want to say that I can’t believe I agree with you on something for once. :laugh:

superdrood

I am not a fan of incredibly dense farming, but there are 7 billion people to feed and "organic" is just a quick path to worldwide famine if its scope increases.

This wouldn't be true if people ate the same amount of meat that they did 50 years ago

....but bacon tastes good....pork chops taste good

koosdel

I love 'genetically modified' chicken. They are way easier to catch.

joseph9

http://blog.fooducate.com/2009/08/03/guess-whats-in-the-picture-foodlike-substance/


Check this out.. Do you really want to eat this???

1. Like the native Americans, agribusiness uses every part of the pig. ;-)

2. Seriously, the fact that it looks gross doesn't really sway me. Presumably, getting the last few scraps of meat from the bones reduces the amount of grain, land and energy per meat calorie required, which is normally a good thing.

3. Let me say again that I honestly respect your opinion, and just want to come across as expressing a different one, not as being confrontational. If I get the tone wrong at any time, I apologize.

4. I think the issue on labeling is whether you require all GM foods to be labeled or whether you allow non-GM foods to label as non-GM. I don't know enough to know which is better.

Grokette

HMonsterX
I understand some people dont what to know and thats fine. I choose to know. Im not taking it to the extreme. you have to pick and choose the best things to eat organic. If i could afford to i would eat 100% organic but its just not realistic with my budget.
trust me i wont have a problem not eating!

I understand your view.

But in your OP you stated that everyone should know. Everyone doesn't WANT to know!

Yes, most people don't want to know and thus the reason why things will never be changed or require labelling. Those people that don't want to know are the type of people our government and companies like Monsanto, Cargill, Tyson and others want us to be...........Blind idiots...........that way they can do as they please and then people wonder why the incidents of cancer, obesity, diabetes, etc keep going higher and higher.

Grokette

http://blog.fooducate.com/2009/08/03/guess-whats-in-the-picture-foodlike-substance/


Check this out.. Do you really want to eat this???

1. Like the native Americans, agribusiness uses every part of the pig. ;-)

2. Seriously, the fact that it looks gross doesn't really sway me. Presumably, getting the last few scraps of meat from the bones reduces the amount of grain, land and energy per meat calorie required, which is normally a good thing.

3. Let me say again that I honestly respect your opinion, and just want to come across as expressing a different one, not as being confrontational. If I get the tone wrong at any time, I apologize.

4. I think the issue on labeling is whether you require all GM foods to be labeled or whether you allow non-GM foods to label as non-GM. I don't know enough to know which is better.

1. The Native Americans use every part of the animal, but the parts that are eaten aren't made into a pasty substance that is unrecognizable as food.

2. I use meats from local farmers and I am able to get the nutrients out of the bones by making bone broth which is very healthy and gets all the good stuff like the marrow.

3. I agree with this statement about not being confrontational. We should all be able to debate our positions without getting nasty with one another.

4. My personal opinion is that the GMO items are the ones that need to be labelled as such.

Tahoe77Chelle

Hey,
has anyone else seen this and think its absolutly as crazy as i do...

http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/10/13/fda-supports-selling-genetically-modified-salmon-report


If you have not seen the Documentary Food Inc.. you should absolutly watch it..
Every American should know what goes on with the food we Eat. You can watch it on Netflix Instantly. Check it out!

Part of the problem is the stupid amounts of people we have living on this planet. Too many people having too many kids.

Actually, too many people aren't having too many kids. Yes, the world is very populated but the US and many other developed countries aren't having enough children to sustain human life.

Actually, we have an average of 75 million more births than deaths every year on the planet. Which is why the population will reach 7 billion this month.

The main issues with genetically modifying animals is that it can endanger indigenous populations if these GMOs breed with nonGMOs.

DrG3n3

I suppose we could all start buying all of the clean, un-modified, organic foods when we all have the luxury to be able to afford it? Or when we are all in an area with local farms where we can get local meats and veg's and eggs? Granted, I can afford to eat pretty good foods, but most people don't realize that there is a large quantity of modified foods. Things that go into soda, things in our peanut butter and jelly, and the obvious meats and things.

Anyway, I'm with the person who said they will eat what they want, and you can eat what you want.

Here's a secret, I'm all for eating me some delicious GMO's. I agree they should label them, just so people can choose instead of ***** about it.

I also think we are having too many babies. I don't feel like paying for the 5 you had that you couldn't afford to have. Keep em closed.

And for those of you into watching those foodie documentaries, Food INC is pretty much the best you can watch. The man that did that video is MUCH less judgmental and a LOT more informative than a few of the others. I've seen Our Daily Bread, and that one is interesting as well. I've also seen a few of the others on Netflix and had to stop a few 5 minutes in because of the wrong information some of them try and "inform" us with.

tegla

Support your local farmers market , etc... best for everyone.

Italianyc84

I can't wrap my head around the fact that some of you are FOR eating GMO food. I think the government has a responsibility to ensure people are receiving the best food possible--in Western European countries, this is a complete non-issue. It's all corporate greed. There is NO reason why most sodas have high fructose corn syrup, when sugar worked perfect for years--and HFCS is BANNED in many other countries. Actually, many US food practices are banned in other countries. Doesn't that make you stop and think? We have one of the highest rates of obesity, heart disease, cancers, etc. There is clearly a reason!

Eat local, eat seasonal. The rest of the world does, why can't we? I'm glad to see that things have finally started to change in this country...there are more farmer's markets than ever. Nearly every day of the week there is one within 10 miles of me. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. We eat less meat now due to the fact that we can't afford to eat the meat that we eat (no hormones, grass fed, organic practices, etc) every single day. So we eat lots of vegetarian meals, or meals where meat isn't the star of the show--in addition to "regular" meat and two sides meals on occasion. It's a healthier way of eating and we feel SO much better.

To each his own, yes. But I think there are some things that the US food system should not be doing. Monsanto, etc. It all amonts to greed.

DrG3n3

Sorry, but as a geneticist, I really can't wrap my head around you NOT being for GMO's either. We'll have to just call it evens here.

_GlaDOS_

Sorry, but as a geneticist, I really can't wrap my head around you NOT being for GMO's either. We'll have to just call it evens here.

As a researcher, I can't wrap my head around how someone could look at GMO research and see that there isn’t a clear problem with them.

Just because science is cool, it doesn’t mean it’s always done properly, with heath, safety, the environment, and good business practices in mind.

GMOs are about money and politics, not food and nutrition. Period.

DrG3n3

I never said there wasn't a problem with them, though as far as I am concerned I don't think there really is. I just said I'm comfortable with eating them, and it's hard for me to understand why everyone else isn't. I respect everyone's decisions to either eat or not eat, either way. I deal with genes and gene manipulation on a daily basis. The end goal is to find genes and ways to change them to cure cancer, and yet I find this acceptable. So making bigger animals with more meat on them to meet the demand of people that eat a ton of it is acceptable to me as well, rather it be greed or not. Greed is part of human nature, to me at least. I never said it was about nutrition. If you want people to stop eating it on a mass scale, then by all means lobby for that if you'd like. I myself have stopped eating as much.

But when they start changing corn to be resistant to pests and climate changes (yes, I know), I'm still going to eat it. It's greed, but I love a good corn on the cob. And when they start growing large amounts of tomatoes that are resistant to pests and are much more delicious and make you want them more (they are actually doing this and one of the PI's came and gave a discussion at my department) I'm still going to buy them. It'll taste better and I'll want it more than that piece of steak.

And I don't know about you, but since I make science my career, I don't go about saying it's cool and that's why I want to be a part of it. I love my job, I love the possibility of the change I can create. If there are people that think its neat and that's why they are for it, well that is just them.

HouseTargaryen

First, if you want reliable information on this sort of thing, I would look somewhere other than this forum. Get your hands on some good, peer-reviewed journal articles (think databases.. JSTOR, EBSCOhost, etc).

I'm not saying I'm for all the chemicals and hormones and weird stuff they do to our food supply.. I truly wish everyone could go back to (as others have suggested) eating less meat, eating what's in season, and maybe even growing their own food.

I am by no means an expert on the subject, but it seems that some GM products have potential (look up Golden Rice). Others (such as those that ward off bugs/pests AKA PRODUCE TOXINS)... I'm not so sure about. They need more testing. Unfortunately, if there are indeed bad effects from these GMOs, we probably won't know about it until it's too late. Woo!

I would also like to add that I do not agree with the assumption that HFCS and chemicals in our food are what's to blame for the obesity rate in the US. We can probably blame mostly lifestyle choices for that one.

DrG3n3

First, if you want reliable information on this sort of thing, I would look somewhere other than this forum. Get your hands on some good, peer-reviewed journal articles (think databases.. JSTOR, EBSCOhost, etc).

I'm not saying I'm for all the chemicals and hormones and weird stuff they do to our food supply.. I truly wish everyone could go back to (as others have suggested) eating less meat, eating what's in season, and maybe even growing their own food.

I am by no means an expert on the subject, but it seems that some GM products have potential (look up Golden Rice). Others (such as those that ward off bugs/pests AKA PRODUCE TOXINS)... I'm not so sure about. They need more testing. Unfortunately, if there are indeed bad effects from these GMOs, we probably won't know about it until it's too late. Woo!

I would also like to add that I do not agree with the assumption that HFCS and chemicals in our food are what's to blame for the obesity rate in the US. We can probably blame mostly lifestyle choices for that one.

I'd have to agree. I think some of us just want something to blame other than ourselves for obesity. I personally blame my love of burgers and chips and fries. As I said, I've changed the way that I eat, but I'm only responsible for myself. Though I agree, I wouldn't mind more testing on the GMO's and the like, and if some causative evidence arises then I'm all for changing my tune.

shreddin_mama

No way in hell im eating Genetically modified fish. Sorry but after i watched Food Inc I will no longer eat chicken. And i love chicken. thats all i would eat. No more for me unless its kosher or organic. If people take a stand and buy organic it will become less expensive over time.

agree. i watched food inc a few days ago. I'm now a vegetarian. we deserve to know what is in our food. why doesn't the FDA label the GMO foods?

12Junes

I understand the move towards GMOs(cheaper, fewer pesticides, larger yield), but I do not trust the "science" (that says it's perfectly safe) behind it. If GMOs are so safe, why not put the label on it? There is a reason why people don't believe the science and that is because there isn't enough proven evidence that GMOs are safe.

LuckyLeprechaun

No way in hell im eating Genetically modified fish. Sorry but after i watched Food Inc I will no longer eat chicken. And i love chicken. thats all i would eat. No more for me unless its kosher or organic. If people take a stand and buy organic it will become less expensive over time.

just like diamonds! High demand makes the price go DOWN.

Uh, oh wait.