GM (Genetically Modified) Foods

[katielloyd]

What's everyone's take on genetically modfied foods? (Vegetation that has been "merged" with something else to make a hybrid). I really don't agree with the way their production is being approached.
For one thing, many farmers who don't believe in these types of foods are being forced to grow them due to cross pollinization, and many have lost their crops due to reactions of the new species with their previously used agricultural techniques.
I also don't agree with the lack of information the general public is being given. These foods have not been proven to be safe for consumption and I, for one, do not want to take the chance. Unfortunately, there is no law stating that it has to indicate on the package whether or not GM foods have been used, and this takes away the comsumer's right to choose.
I'm not really sure *why* these foods are being produced, when I find that natural fruits and vegetables are just find with me.

[frammy]

Genetically modified? Doesn't really bother me as if it work with crops to grow in harsh conditions to feed the hungry in countries such as ethiopia etc it can only be a good thing

Remeber as individuals we are all genetially modified from the moment of conseption!

A hybrid of the 2 parents! Personally i would like to be spliced with hops so i could produce beer without having to go to the pub! not thats a thought.(sing me up for testing lol)

On a serious note, something needs to be done especially with regards bannanas as so i understand in several years they may be no more!

[crazy_gunner]

I think that companies should keep producing GM foods because many medicines are genetically engineered like insulin and human growth hormone. Also, negative studies are sometimes presented by the media when in reality, there have been none or few studies conducted at all.

[sgt4life]

Well, one thing they have done with GM is "Round-up Ready". This is a special kind of crop that isn't killed by round-up and everything else is, so it's a lot easier for farmers to weed their fields. The problem is that "Round-up ready" crops are expensive and you HAVE to buy new seeds from that company every year. Plus, since those crops aren't killed by round-up., if they spread to another field they become a weed, but one that isn't killed so easily.

Also, they have been able to genetically modify corn with a bacteria that is toxic to pests, and harmless to humans, so they get more crops and there is no harmful side effect.

As for the lack of information being given to the ublic, that IS a problem, but it has been blown WAY out of proportion. It's up to the farmers to notify the people that buy their crops that they're GM crops, and it goes along the chain until it gets to the manufacturer and the packaging companies. If the message that the crops used are GM crops is lost somewhere along the way, then they can't label the product. It's really up to the manufacturer, not the farmer.

Also, mis-information is also a very bad problem. GM foods aren't really dangerous. True, there are more tests they could do, but it's not all that necesary. The media has given only certain facts that are causing people to mis-trust without cause.

[Bright Eyes]

To all those that say GM foods aren't really dangerous ... you are right. If you eat a cob of GM corn, chances are you aren't going to keel over right away. Planting a few fields' worth of it likely won't cause global meltdown. However ... in 20-30 years' time it could be an entirely different story.

The two main problems that I find with GM foods is that there are not proper long term consumption studies. As the technology is pushed faster and the demand grows even greater, I see proper testing falling by the wayside and foods that could cause potential problems slipping through. Once these foods are out, we can't just take them back and pretend nothing happened. We cannot afford to take chances with the lives of hundreds of thousands of people just to advance science.

The other problem that I see is the fact that we have no idea how these new plants are going to affect the environment that they grow in. With these "Round-Up Ready" crops that Tannis is talking about, dangerous chemicals are sprayed all over the plants to kill all nusiance vegitation. Good news for the farmer, but what about all manner of species that feed off the weeds and bugs that can now be nearly eradicated?

Technology, in my opinion, in this area is moving way too fast for our ecosystem to cope with. The effect of GMOs is irreversible and we cannot afford to misjudge their effects.

[wb256]

I have a few major problems with GMO's.

First, possible health/enviromental problems. These have NOT been tested thoroughly enough for human consumtpion (in my mind). There's a lot of possible long term side effects that could arise.

Also, the pesticide producing crops have NOT been proven to be 100% safe for humans. In the short term, yes. However, the past SHOULD have taught us that things like these need long term testing.

Another problem arises with allergies (note: this is more of an issue with the lack of labelling of GMO's). It is possible for allergens to be tranfered from one food to another (eg, peanut genes into a tomato) or for entirely new allergies to form due to the new chemicals and what not present in these new foods.

Also, there are some obvious enviromental concerns (issues with these new crops taking over. You're effectivly adding a new species to an ecosystem, it could have detrimental effects to our natural resources).

Also, the round-up resistnt crops will, quite obviously, lead to an increase in pesticide/herbacide use (especially in 3rd world countries where there are no regulations concerning it's use). This is going to have obvious enviromental side effects (and in turn many on human health as well). Another issue will be the evolution of roundup resistant insects.

Another issue is economic. These things are being forced upon the LDW. True, the chocolate they're being forced (yes forced to grow, IMF loans force farmers to grow GMO's, and to grow cash crops) to grow in etheopia survives better. However, it's not a very good cash crop for economic development and it's keeping their economy stagnate. These crops arn't being used as a tool to develop their economy, they're being used as a weapon to surpress it.

It would be in Etheopia's best interests to grow sustinence crops to feed themselves, because they obviously can't can't achieve this by selling chocolate on the world market. Plantation type crops (tea, chocolate, coffee, rubber, etc) are one of the worst things to base an economy on. The market is so fragile, that if you grow/sell enough to properly feed your nation, the market get's flooded and you get less money. It's impossible to create a balance of production that will give the necessary profit for survival.

And this is just national survival we're talking about (money for food, medicine, fuel, and other resources). If they even want to THINK about developing their economy, they need $$ from somewhere else (obviously not from IMF loans that keep their economy in this supressed state).

At the VERY least I think that it should be mandatory to properly label GMO's in North America. This means more than just produce, but other foodstuffs that contain GMO's (cereal, kraft dinner, cheese, etc).

final note: I know this is an old topic, but I've been gone for a while and I feel strongly about this issue.