Why we need GMO

Is it too much to ask for full disclosure and label foods that contain GMO, apparently it is, at least in NA where 90% of GMO takes place. Just label the frikken food and let people make their own decisions on what they want to eat.

I agree. Labeling makes sense. People can decide whether they want to pay for $1 GMO corn or $2 natural one.

While genetic modification won't single handedly eliminate world hunger, it's one arsenal in the toolbox. There is no dispute that GMO crop is more economical (otherwise farmers won't use it), so at the very least it would make food a bit cheaper to buy.

While there is no long term proof of the safety of consuming GMO crop, there's no proof of its danger either. While we shouldn't rush headlong into accepting GMO crop, to declare it as dangerous on principle is just as foolish.

This goes beyond GMO. Monsanto is killing off our farmers and dominating an industry that can't survive under these conditions. Watch Food Inc.

Yes, yes! Blindly watch Food Inc, and be drawn in to their biased world. Forks Over Knives is a good one too. Also, George Bush actually flew the planes into the Twin Towers and Obama dropped the 2nd backpack at the Boston Marathon. Oh, and he orchestrated the Newtown Massacre to get us on his side for gun control. I saw it on YouTube.

Shhh, don't say this stuff out loud! They'll know you know the truth and THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU!!! After all, if it's on the world wide webz or even a video it must be true :-)

ETA: I fully agree with the idea of labeling this stuff. Let us make up our own minds about it, we're all critical-thinking adults (or should be). If the foods are labeled and we still choose to consume it, then hey, consequences are on us and we're the fools. If they're labeled and we choose not to consume them when it turns out they were the best thing for us, then hey, still shame on us. Hindsight's always 20/20, our great-grandkids will find out someday whether we were right or wrong with this

If there's nothing to fear, then why can't we just label the food? Plain and simple. Allow me to decide what I eat and feed my family. The food needs to be labelled.

Agreed.

Agreed! We have more than enough food. The issue is our method of distribution and how we choose who should and could eat it. Our very lives will depend on how we allocate our resources. If we keep putting scientific experimentation where it doesn't belong,we will continue to see a decline in health as a whole. The further we get from natural growth patterns, the more we will see this. Plant, water, fertilize, grow, pick and eat. I personally don't see a reason to go into the genetics of any given food to 'enhance' it or change it in any way. I just believe its bad for business if true health is your intention. But to each their own. I try to avoid GMO's as much as possible for myself and my family. I don't eat seedless fruit either. There is just something weird about modified foods... I don't believe that big business has my health in mind. they crave my dependency and my adherence. So far, so good. But change has to start soon.

Absolutely spot on with this comment. Lets be clear as well, there is NOT a lack of food in the world, what there IS is a great deal of profiteering involved in the distribution and pricing of food.

the concept of GMO is fine, although it's worth noting that different populations have different needs (for example, those in 'Western' or certainly the US societies) do not suffer from deficiencies in Vitamin A

We have been carrying out a form of GMO for thousands of years, by selective breeding - read Michael Pollan's 'The Botany of Desire' for an interesting take on it.

What I, and many others have an issue with is not the idea of GMO but the WAY in which it is practiced. GMO seeds are for the most part non-heritage seeds, which means that farmers cannot lay a stock of seeds for planting next season, and have to purchase more, giving profit to the organisation that created them. Granted, this allows the seeds to remain pure (and not-crossbreed as I am sure the plants themselves will attempt to do given the way evolution works....), and it also allows the GMO organisation to remain in business -after all, a business model that simply gives away its inventions isn't much of a business model (aside from people like Trevor Bayliss that is...)

GMO is NOT a cure for World Hunger. It is a way of creating more resistant crops, fighting diseases and generally attempting to mount a defence against what could be argued the natural order of things. It is necessarily a profit-making industry, but it is some of the bullish tactics that many people find offensive.

In order to feed the world's population we need to adjust our farming practices. Whether GMO is the way to do this I am not convinced, however money will only be invested in solutions where there is a real chance of a financial return.

Agreed. The fact that there is so much debate is a cause for my attention and concern. I mean, anyone knows that if you have nothing to hide, there's no need to be so secretive. ESPECIALLY when dealing with things we will accept into our bodies and those of our children.

Is it too much to ask for full disclosure and label foods that contain GMO, apparently it is, at least in NA where 90% of GMO takes place. Just label the frikken food and let people make their own decisions on what they want to eat.

I agree. Labeling makes sense. People can decide whether they want to pay for $1 GMO corn or $2 natural one.

While genetic modification won't single handedly eliminate world hunger, it's one arsenal in the toolbox. There is no dispute that GMO crop is more economical (otherwise farmers won't use it), so at the very least it would make food a bit cheaper to buy.

While there is no long term proof of the safety of consuming GMO crop, there's no proof of its danger either. While we shouldn't rush headlong into accepting GMO crop, to declare it as dangerous on principle is just as foolish.

whilst to declare to it as dangerous on principle is just as foolish.The logic sounds pretty good but in practice If I had say a large amount of lets say something people consume and my selling point was well it has neither been declared safe nor dangerous do you think I should introduce the product onto the market, not knowing if there are adverse effects but since they can't be proved or disproved its OK and while I'm at it I have an Act pushed through government that frees me from all responsibility.

I don't pretend to know the science thoroughly enough to debate it but here are some things to consider that are self explanatory

Concerns about the social and ethical issues surrounding genetic modification include:

The possible monopolisation of the world food market by large multinational companies that control the distribution of GM seeds
Concerns related to using genes from animals in plant foods. For example, eating traces of genetic material from pork is problematic for certain religious and cultural groups
Animal welfare could be adversely affected. For example, cows given more potent GM growth hormones could suffer from health problems related to growth or metabolism
New GM organisms could be patented so that life itself could become commercial property.

A patent is put in place to protect inventors and give them time to recoup their investments. All patents eventually expire, so eventually any invention becomes available to the world.

I think large corporations tend to keep an eye on patent expiration dates, but hey lets patent life everything needs to be owned by a corporation right down to the DNA.

GMO = big profits for already corrupt fatcats.

GMO + MONSANTO = something I don't want to eat.

I want the right to choose what I eat, to choose naturally organically grown food that my body was designed to eat. I don't want some big fat money hungry organization shoving their *kitten* and their agenda down my throat. Too much to ask? :huh:

Since everybody here is always asking for "the science", I'd recommend that you give Dr. Vandana Shiva some of your attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1FTCzDSck

http://www.vandanashiva.org/

She is a quantum theory physicist who changed her direction to focus on fighting against Monsanto and other entities like them, to protect the diversity and integrity of our living resources, especially native seed, the promotion of organic farming, and fair trade. I love the efforts she's put forth to educate people around the world and to advocate for the saving of heirloom seeds.

There is much more to Monsanto and their evil deeds than just GMO crops. Their hands are into all kinds of very uncool things. I'm not going to write a huge essay here, on all the reasons I intend to strive toward never giving them any of my hard earned spending cash, because I assume that you all have the means to look up the arguments pro and con yourself.

LOL Sadly too familiar around these parts, and from what I read and see, everywhere around the world. There are lots of small farmers who've been shut down by Monsanto, because their crops were found to have contained GMO strains.

It is just a travesty that the courts allow Monsanto to get away with these tactics. Their genetically modified crops are not something their farming customers can contain to their own fields. It seems to me that the plaintiffs *should* be the farmers whose crops have been contaminated by Monsanto products.

Since everybody here is always asking for "the science", I'd recommend that you give Dr. Vandana Shiva some of your attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1FTCzDSck

http://www.vandanashiva.org/

She is a quantum theory physicist who changed her direction to focus on fighting against Monsanto and other entities like them, to protect the diversity and integrity of our living resources, especially native seed, the promotion of organic farming, and fair trade. I love the efforts she's put forth to educate people around the world and to advocate for the saving of heirloom seeds.

There is much more to Monsanto and their evil deeds than just GMO crops. Their hands are into all kinds of very uncool things. I'm not going to write a huge essay here, on all the reasons I intend to strive toward never giving them any of my hard earned spending cash, because I assume that you all have the means to look up the arguments pro and con yourself.

^THIS^

I personally believe that we should have "free choice" to KNOW what is in our food and the consumer make the choice with great labeling. As natural as possible is the way I like to eat my foods...WHOLE FOODS from fresh local farmers b/c it supports their buisness and it's FRESH:)

I am not worried about sustainable living and I don't have scarcity thinking b/c I believe God created this world and He created us to fill the earth and "Be fruitful and multiply" The Bible says it and I believe the Bible is the only Absolute truth we have in this world. We didn't just evolve from slime into monkeys and then people. We were created with unique purpose and desires and feelings and that I am grateful for.

"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
Genesis 9:6-8

We live in a day and age that people are freaking out worried that they won't have food or water or whatever it may be and they think it's b/c we use "plastic" or drive "SUV's" when in all reality the reason our foods are being ruined is from all the STUPID things that Huge Corporations are doing to our foods and Pharma company's by how they dump chemicals into the ocean etc....people get so caught up in saving plastic and being "green" that we miss the fact that our food is shipped from all over the world, which loses it's nutritional value and tomato's are "gassed" and we aren't eating foods that are full of natural sun light and good ole soil.

This is my perspective on things:) Not trying to debate, I respect your view points and perspective and hopefully others will respect mine:)

Have a Blessed week:)

I am enjoying reading all the different info on GMO and Monsanto....like I shared before....I believe "less is more" Buy Fresh, Buy Local as much as possible. I buy my eggs from a family down the road that have chickens that are ACTUALLY FREE RANGE!! They are not cooped up in chicken houses and stabbed with antibiotics to keep them "healthy". The "Organic" eggs or "Free Range" eggs in the store only require that the chickens be in sunlight like an hour a day (Open windows)...So sick!

Round UP Ready (I am no expert here) but just the thought of spraying our fields with this poision to keep bugs and disease off and it "kills" just sounds scary to me and wonders how much toxic poision we have put into our bodies.

I don't pretend to know the science thoroughly enough to debate it but here are some things to consider that are self explanatory

Concerns about the social and ethical issues surrounding genetic modification include:

The possible monopolisation of the world food market by large multinational companies that control the distribution of GM seeds
Concerns related to using genes from animals in plant foods. For example, eating traces of genetic material from pork is problematic for certain religious and cultural groups
Animal welfare could be adversely affected. For example, cows given more potent GM growth hormones could suffer from health problems related to growth or metabolism
New GM organisms could be patented so that life itself could become commercial property.

"New GM organisms could be patented so that life itself could become commercial property."

And THIS is exactly what has been happening! This argument alone is enough for me. However, unfortunately, this argument does not have to stand on its own. There are too many other good reasons to avoid GMO produce, including the other ones mentioned by this poster and others in this thread.

‘Monsanto Protection Act’ grants GMO juggernaut Monsanto full immunity from federal courts in the event that one of its genetically modified creations is found to be causing damage to health or the environment. Essentially, it grants Monsanto power over the United States federal government... sounds totally legit to me, you know the power to have full immunity because your crops are so safe. I am no scientist but does this not seem slightly nefarious.

There is no "Monsanto Protection Act" - that was a scare term created by opponents to GMOs. It doesn't grant anyone immunity either. In the event of a legal challenge regarding the safety of a previously approved GMO, it allows the USDA to grant a temporary status allowing farmers to continue to grow those crops while the legal challenge works its way through the courts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmer_Assurance_Provision

It doesn't *allow* the USDA to grant temporary status (as they already had that right), it now mandates they do it. They have taken away the process of determining whether the court order should stand or evidence suggests the temporary order should be granted. Now they will have no choice but to give a temporary order....no questions asked.

Thanks for the hogwash monsanto

See, I was actually hoping for interesting discussion rather than the monsanto haters just to reitierate that they hate monsanto without discussing anything. Oh well. Maybe I will just check back tomorrow.

Duh, don't you see? Monsanto is the antichrist and the reason anything BAD happens in the world! Let us crucify this one corporation on the cross of ignorance!