orangeclouds115 ([info]orangeclouds115) wrote in [info]daily_granola,
@ 2005-11-30 02:54:00
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Avoid Genetically Modified (GMO) Food
Avoid Genetically Modified (GMO) Food

GMO food works in one of two ways: either it is engineered to be resistant to an herbicide called Roundup or an insecticide is engineered into each cell of each plant. In both cases it is very destructive to the ecosystem around it, and in the first case it encourages heavy spraying of Roundup. GMO's effects on business also deserve attention because huge corporations like Monsanto can put a patent on life and force farmers to rely on them for seeds. Last, GMO foods haven't been sufficiently tested for health effects on humans but some studies that have been done point to harmful effects on the immune system, among other things.

There are four main GMO foods you could potentially buy (and not even know it!): corn, soy, cotton, and canola.

I always check my tofu and soymilk to be sure it is non-GMO (and I was happy to find out that the brands I was already buying say that on the packaging), but I think it may be a good idea to stay away from products with corn syrup. A site here lists other frankenfoods, including sugarbeets, potatoes, chicory, rice, squash, flax, and tomatoes. Not all of the foods on the list are sold in stores - some are just legally grown but not sold.

If you want to learn more, you can listen to an interview with Deborah Koons Garcia (the widow of Jerry Garcia and creator of The Future of Food) at the following two links: Part 1 and Part 2. Also, check out this page of info from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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[info]vgnwtch
2005-11-30 12:15 pm UTC (link)
Also check out Kathleen Hart's Eating In The Dark: America's Experiment with Genetically Engineered Food. Hart's a journalist who's been covering GM for years. Her book's a fascinating look at how governments put profit over human and environmental health, and the power of corporations.

(Reply to this)

I don't know...
[info]dravogadro
2005-11-30 05:43 pm UTC (link)
Millions of test subjects from all different backgrounds over a ten year period seems like a pretty good test. ;)
(I'm not condoning the abuse of this technology and I believe stricter standards should be implemented)

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: I don't know...
[info]kaph
2005-11-30 06:00 pm UTC (link)
obviously people incorporating GM-foods into their diet do not constitute an adequate test. who knows what other factors are present in people's health histories, diets, etc.? just because not everyone who eats conagra popcorn isn't drastically sick doesn't mean these foods are benign. an actual lab study was done on rats, some of which were fed non-GM produce, some GM-produce. the GM-fed rats had a number of problems, including weaker immune systems (basically underdevelopment of immune systems). more tests need to be done, but there's enough evidence out there to warrant concern.

plus, long-term sustainability issues arise, like, what is this crop going to do to genetic diversity? will it behave as a weed, colonizing other plants? etc., etc. i'm flabbergasted that these issues aren't discussed more widely.

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Re: I don't know...
[info]dravogadro
2005-11-30 06:17 pm UTC (link)
No one cares about long-term issues as long as you're making fast money now ;\

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Re: I don't know...
[info]orangeclouds115
2005-11-30 06:19 pm UTC (link)
Isn't that sad? The solution is to keep them from making money now. Don't buy their products. And spread the word so others don't too. These companies react to threats and future risks. I think I read in Fast Food Nation that McDonalds pre-emptively told their potato suppliers "No GMO Potatoes" in anticipation of future PR problems associated with it.

So watch what you buy, spread the word to friends, and write letters to the editor of local papers.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: I don't know...
[info]kaph
2005-12-01 06:01 am UTC (link)
alas, this is true . . . :(

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: I don't know...
[info]orangeclouds115
2005-11-30 06:09 pm UTC (link)
I think the human health concern is more of an unknown at this point, pending further study. The known concern is the effect on the ecosystem. And that can be studied but it's also intuitive. If bugs (even helpful bugs) and native plants are part of an ecosystem and they can't live with the GMO foods around, that will have larger implications. For example, birds that eat the bugs will struggle, and animals that live on the other plants that are now being killed by Roundup. Not to mention the consequences of dousing your fields in Roundup all the time! That just sounds like common sense.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: I don't know...
[info]diffuse
2005-11-30 06:22 pm UTC (link)
first, we don't know if there might be an affect resulting from the accumulation of these things in our bodies over time. perhaps 10 years isn't long enough to tell. secondly, there are no controls when you just point to a random assortment of people eating varying amounts, sometimes none at all, sometimes a lot. there is rampant cancer, obesity, disease, etc in the US. just because we haven't seen some wild, crazy new virus or disease crop up in the last 10 years means nothing. the body works in a certain way and various changes to it often result in a similar fashion, i.e. you can get cancer from a multitude of things. so there's no reason to believe that GM foods have not had any observable effect thus far. if you're a happy little guinea pig that's fine. i just personally choose not to be.

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Re: I don't know...
[info]vgnwtch
2005-11-30 07:34 pm UTC (link)
Plus, unless you're talking about a controlled study, how on Earth can you know whether or not:

a) People know how much GM is in their diet
b) People connect illness or discomfort with GM
c) People report it as such
d) Their doctors know that the reported ailments are connected to GM, or run tests to check on any correlation

There are no controls, no studies, and there's no tracking, so there's no way to determine whether or not GM is really safe by simply flooding the market with the stuff.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]rebbyribs
2005-11-30 06:52 pm UTC (link)
Urk. I find it frustrating that GMOs are all lumped together. Genetic engineering is a technique, and it can be used to many different ends. I disagree with the idea of making "Roundup-Ready" crops, because they're just promoting more use of pesticides (although there is some good in that mechanized weeding often promotes soil erosion). But it can also be used to other ends, like making crops that are hardier in cold or dry climates, and making crops that are more disease- or pest-resistant and thus are sprayed with less pesticide. I would support genetic engineering programs that identified gene alleles for beneficial traits in families of plants and added those alleles into crop plants. (Yeah, there are still problems with monocropping and access to seeds for farmers in developing countries, but these were issues even before recombinant DNA technology, and I believe they can be solved regardless of whether GMOs or hybrids or traditional varieties are grown.)

I think it's wrong to lump all GMOs together and say "Bad" or "Good" without understanding what the modifications are.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]vgnwtch
2005-11-30 07:38 pm UTC (link)
I'm fine with selective breeding of plants for specific traits. I'd like to be convinced of benefits and safety of GM foods by extensive and reputable studies, though, rather than just have it dumped on us without any care for tracking the effects.

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[info]kaph
2005-12-01 06:06 am UTC (link)
exactly. just because there's a good intention (feeding people in the desert) doesn't meant we shouldn't study the health risks. no one has done this yet, and the companies are actually using their "good intentions" to advocate for not having to do the studies.

grr.

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