Should GMO ingredients be labeled as such on food products?
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It depends on your definition of a GMO food. Borlaug's innovation was mostly through cross breeding, backcrossing, timing of planting, hybrids, etc. Some consider this GMO, others don't - considering most of the crops we eat today have been influenced heavy by backcrossing and selective breeding, it's a murky area - and another reason why labeling GMOs is a confusing topic for many people. All of the corn we eat has been selected heavily ("original" corn is tiny, the size of your thumb), same with bananas.GuitarJerry wrote: »
it kinda says he did.
No "genetically modified wheat" by the government's definition of GMO has been approved for us or is grown anywhere for food use.
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ClubSilencio wrote: »
Yeah, I'm sure a company that has sued small farmers 150 times and won every case just wants to feed the poor. No one wants to feed the poor, bro. Maybe your local church does but on a global scale it's not reality. And the problem extends far beyond just food crops.ClubSilencio wrote: »I'm against anything that Monsanto wants to do.
So you're against feeding the poor in underdeveloped countries?
Newsflash: GMO crops are for the rich (people who commute the kids to soccer practice and buy 24-pack frozen hamburger patties to tailgate at an SEC football game)
***Breaking News*** You probably eat more food that has been imported from an impoverished country that so desperately needs Monsanto to save them
The only concern Monsanto has is $$$, not health or the environment.
If you like them, fine. But please do better than that "feed the poor" nonsense. It's offensive.
that is an insult to SEC tailgaiters...nobody cooks with frozen preformed patties in the SEC...
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It depends on your definition of a GMO food. Borlaug's innovation was mostly through cross breeding, backcrossing, timing of planting, hybrids, etc. Some consider this GMO, others don't - considering most of the crops we eat today have been influenced heavy by backcrossing and selective breeding, it's a murky area - and another reason why labeling GMOs is a confusing topic for many people. All of the corn we eat has been selected heavily ("original" corn is tiny, the size of your thumb), same with bananas.GuitarJerry wrote: »
it kinda says he did.
No "genetically modified wheat" by the government's definition of GMO has been approved for us or is grown anywhere for food use.
I would think if you put those definitions to GMO, you would be SOL on eating just about anything, no?
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Depends on who you ask.0 -
It depends on your definition of a GMO food. Borlaug's innovation was mostly through cross breeding, backcrossing, timing of planting, hybrids, etc. Some consider this GMO, others don't - considering most of the crops we eat today have been influenced heavy by backcrossing and selective breeding, it's a murky area - and another reason why labeling GMOs is a confusing topic for many people. All of the corn we eat has been selected heavily ("original" corn is tiny, the size of your thumb), same with bananas.GuitarJerry wrote: »
it kinda says he did.
No "genetically modified wheat" by the government's definition of GMO has been approved for us or is grown anywhere for food use.
I would think if you put those definitions to GMO, you would be SOL on eating just about anything, no?
Haha yes, pretty much.0 -
I'm of the strong opinion that I'm going to die some day.
I'm not interested in wringing my hands about something that may or may not shave 12 hours off my lifespan.0 -
It's been said, but once we start the "GMO Free" wars it's going to turn into another round of "Gluten free!" "Vegan!" etc labeling on foods that seem to be no brainers. When I see vegetables on the shelf with "Gluten free" labels on them, hilarious. People who have serious gluten allergies were reading ingredient lists long before "gluten free" started popping up on food labels. Once you start labeling something as "-free" you imply to consumers yours is somehow better than the unlabeled one next to it...even if the unlabeled one is the exact same thing. It's crafty marketing, and it works. Hence why people will pay extra for "hormone free" chicken when growth hormones are illegal in the poultry industry.
Anyway something to keep in mind is the only GM crops in the American market are: Corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, some apples, and squash. That's it. How much do you want to bet we'll start seeing things like "GMO Free Strawberries!" on the shelf next to unlabeled strawberries? And how much do you want to bet people will assume that means strawberries are a GMO crop and any unlabeled ones are somehow "dangerous" or worse?
Ignoring the fact that we have enough science behind GMOs (which is another topic entirely and has already been touched on by other people in this thread), I just think it's hilarious what people believe and assume when it comes to labels. Advertising is all about what they want the consumer to infer.
So, if corn is GMO in the US, then is every product made with corn syrup also GMO? Please say yes because if so then I'm about to enjoy Facebook more than I have in months.
Yes. gmo corn=gmo corn syrup0 -
I didn't say that 100% of those crops in the US are GMO crops, I just meant they are the only crops that are approved for use in the US. It depends on the operation. Unless you were referencing my post further down that corn has been selected heavily from its original tiny form over many years.It's been said, but once we start the "GMO Free" wars it's going to turn into another round of "Gluten free!" "Vegan!" etc labeling on foods that seem to be no brainers. When I see vegetables on the shelf with "Gluten free" labels on them, hilarious. People who have serious gluten allergies were reading ingredient lists long before "gluten free" started popping up on food labels. Once you start labeling something as "-free" you imply to consumers yours is somehow better than the unlabeled one next to it...even if the unlabeled one is the exact same thing. It's crafty marketing, and it works. Hence why people will pay extra for "hormone free" chicken when growth hormones are illegal in the poultry industry.
Anyway something to keep in mind is the only GM crops in the American market are: Corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, some apples, and squash. That's it. How much do you want to bet we'll start seeing things like "GMO Free Strawberries!" on the shelf next to unlabeled strawberries? And how much do you want to bet people will assume that means strawberries are a GMO crop and any unlabeled ones are somehow "dangerous" or worse?
Ignoring the fact that we have enough science behind GMOs (which is another topic entirely and has already been touched on by other people in this thread), I just think it's hilarious what people believe and assume when it comes to labels. Advertising is all about what they want the consumer to infer.
So, if corn is GMO in the US, then is every product made with corn syrup also GMO? Please say yes because if so then I'm about to enjoy Facebook more than I have in months.
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RealFoodisGood wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »
Yeah, I'm sure a company that has sued small farmers 150 times and won every case just wants to feed the poor. No one wants to feed the poor, bro. Maybe your local church does but on a global scale it's not reality. And the problem extends far beyond just food crops.ClubSilencio wrote: »I'm against anything that Monsanto wants to do.
So you're against feeding the poor in underdeveloped countries?
Newsflash: GMO crops are for the rich (people who commute the kids to soccer practice and buy 24-pack frozen hamburger patties to tailgate at an SEC football game)
***Breaking News*** You probably eat more food that has been imported from an impoverished country that so desperately needs Monsanto to save them
The only concern Monsanto has is $$$, not health or the environment.
If you like them, fine. But please do better than that "feed the poor" nonsense. It's offensive.
The only thing offensive here is your ignorance.
I'm guessing you've never heard of Norman Borlaug. He genetically modified wheat to make is sustainable in poor climates. He won the Nobel Prize for his work and has saved millions of lives.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1970/borlaug-bio.html
Oh, and lots of insulin is made from GMO bacteria.
But yeah, GMOs are the devil.
Well... Borlaug isn't my hero, although he's a hero to those that didn't starve. That genetically modified wheat (which I think was actually hybridized not GMO'd) is a main reason I stay away from the stuff.
Short term, yes it saves lives by providing something to eat. You're starving. You eat anything no matter what. Damn the long term consequences. And Borlaug made it possible to provide a lot of that "stuff".
But currently, that wheat (maybe even more hybridized now) is contained in virtually everything that isn't a whole single ingredient food. But why are we resorting to eating this stuff by the truckload in today's society? We're not starving. We don't have to resort to eating it. But it tastes good... so....
Saves millions in the short term. Does god knows what to millions in the long term.
If you stay away from all food that has been hybridized or modified in any way...what on earth do you eat?0 -
Less than 1% of the American population are farmers, and less than half of them get 100% of their income from the farm (spouses work elsewhere, etc). Next time people complain that we "produce so much!" and "why are farms so big!" and "why aren't there more small farms!" and "big ag companies are evil!" etc just remember that maybe 1% of this country is responsible for feeding the remaining 99%. For some reason people have this idyllic red barn house in a small field and they want to cling to that as the symbol of agriculture. A cute idea, but unfortunately won't feed 350,000,000 people on a budget everyone can afford. Before industrialized agriculture many people raised their own food because they HAD TO, not because it was some idyllic form of life.0
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rhtexasgal wrote: »GMOs should be a great cause for concern. Did you realize that other countries will not accept US imports because of our country's pesticide and GMO practices? I think it raises a red flag that other countries severely restrict our crops because of the genetic modification. Our bodies were not made to digest corn and soybean that has been injected with chemicals that repel bugs and other pests.
Did you realise that nothing you just said is true? Many countries produce and consume GMOs. The vast majority of the world allow GMO imports. Many are conducting their own field research into producing their own.
Also, your second point screams 'I have no idea what GMO means!'. None-GMO products are SPRAYED with pesticides (not that I mind that either, I wash my vegetables) whilst GMO crops often have a non-toxic, natural bug resistant gene put into their DNA. That way they don't have to be sprayed.
I'm against mandatory labeling for GMOs because, like a few people have said, it will lead to totally unneeded hysteria. The new 'gluten-free'. And again, if we force companies to put whether it's GMO or not, what's the next step? Force them to put what might potentially have snuck in - like bugs in a salad? Or frogs? There have been a couple of cases of frogs found in salad bags. The name of the farmer? The colour of his or her tractor? Because just like whether something is GMO or not, it's irrelevant information as it won't change the effect on the body. Not even if the tractor was rainbow coloured.0 -
I'd like to see GMO labeled.0
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That will cost these billionaire companies too much money to print out new labels plus it will create unnecessary panic. Do you really want to pay .17 cents more for creamed corn for awareness sake? Don't worry about it. Monsanto is feeding the world. There are farmers all across the globe who will gladly pay the fees to use Monsanto seeds every single year - the humanity brings a single tear to my eye!kiittenforever wrote: »I'd like to see GMO labeled.
Just buy organic food if you're that worried. There will be plenty of that stuff on the shelves so long as Roundup Ready crops don't contaminate the nearby crops forcing the hard working farmer to lose organic certification. Neil Degrasse-Tyson says chill out, yo!
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ClubSilencio wrote: »
That will cost these billionaire companies too much money to print out new labels plus it will create unnecessary panic. Do you really want to pay .17 cents more for creamed corn for awareness sake? Don't worry about it. Monsanto is feeding the world. There are farmers all across the globe who will gladly pay the fees to use Monsanto seeds every single year - the humanity brings a single tear to my eye!kiittenforever wrote: »I'd like to see GMO labeled.
Just buy organic food if you're that worried. There will be plenty of that stuff on the shelves so long as Roundup Ready crops don't contaminate the nearby crops forcing the hard working farmer to lose organic certification. Neil Degrasse-Tyson says chill out, yo!
so non-organic farmers are not hard workers now?
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ClubSilencio wrote: »
That will cost these billionaire companies too much money to print out new labels plus it will create unnecessary panic. Do you really want to pay .17 cents more for creamed corn for awareness sake? Don't worry about it. Monsanto is feeding the world. There are farmers all across the globe who will gladly pay the fees to use Monsanto seeds every single year - the humanity brings a single tear to my eye!kiittenforever wrote: »I'd like to see GMO labeled.
Just buy organic food if you're that worried. There will be plenty of that stuff on the shelves so long as Roundup Ready crops don't contaminate the nearby crops forcing the hard working farmer to lose organic certification. Neil Degrasse-Tyson says chill out, yo!
Yes, Neil does say chill out. So do a lot of other scientists. I will take their opinion over yours any day.
Unless you can provide those peer-reviewed studies that conclude GMOs are deleterious to our health and safety.0 -
Your bias is showing....just check the European Unions restriction on NA GMO's....MarziPanda95 wrote: »rhtexasgal wrote: »GMOs should be a great cause for concern. Did you realize that other countries will not accept US imports because of our country's pesticide and GMO practices? I think it raises a red flag that other countries severely restrict our crops because of the genetic modification. Our bodies were not made to digest corn and soybean that has been injected with chemicals that repel bugs and other pests.
Did you realise that nothing you just said is true? Many countries produce and consume GMOs. The vast majority of the world allow GMO imports. Many are conducting their own field research into producing their own.
Also, your second point screams 'I have no idea what GMO means!'. None-GMO products are SPRAYED with pesticides (not that I mind that either, I wash my vegetables) whilst GMO crops often have a non-toxic, natural bug resistant gene put into their DNA. That way they don't have to be sprayed.
I'm against mandatory labeling for GMOs because, like a few people have said, it will lead to totally unneeded hysteria. The new 'gluten-free'. And again, if we force companies to put whether it's GMO or not, what's the next step? Force them to put what might potentially have snuck in - like bugs in a salad? Or frogs? There have been a couple of cases of frogs found in salad bags. The name of the farmer? The colour of his or her tractor? Because just like whether something is GMO or not, it's irrelevant information as it won't change the effect on the body. Not even if the tractor was rainbow coloured.
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Didn't you know? Conventional agriculture is cheating, making a profit is okay for any industry except in agriculture, that's a cardinal sin, and neither the government nor producers care about the people or the safety of the food they eatClubSilencio wrote: »
That will cost these billionaire companies too much money to print out new labels plus it will create unnecessary panic. Do you really want to pay .17 cents more for creamed corn for awareness sake? Don't worry about it. Monsanto is feeding the world. There are farmers all across the globe who will gladly pay the fees to use Monsanto seeds every single year - the humanity brings a single tear to my eye!kiittenforever wrote: »I'd like to see GMO labeled.
Just buy organic food if you're that worried. There will be plenty of that stuff on the shelves so long as Roundup Ready crops don't contaminate the nearby crops forcing the hard working farmer to lose organic certification. Neil Degrasse-Tyson says chill out, yo!
so non-organic farmers are not hard workers now?
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Any attempts at labeling will fail as the entire concept is absurd, just another feel good movement with absolutely no basis in scientific proof.0
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