Do you avoid GMO's?

[ellone]

The GMO debate is sooo complicated. Saw an interesting discussion on it on CNN. One of the "experts" made an interesting observation. In the western world one billion people are concerned that years of eating GMO food could have a negative impact on your health. In the third world, one billion people are concerned about starving to death, and GMO food is one way to prevent that today. Clearly a first world debate.

And you think Monsanto is giving away their GMO seeds and pesticides for free? No they are not. GMO will not feed the world - it costs more (in the US our government subsidizes it so you don't see the real costs ). Monsanto tricked Indian farmers into growing GMO cotton saying they will get increased yields. Instead the farmers got crushing debt from buying the GMO seeds and pesticides. Many committed suicide because they saw no way out if the debt.


And there have been studies that show increased yields from corn are coming from the non-GMO varieties. GMO varieties have lower yields.

 

[Sacha_L]

I'm not sure how avoiding GMO = avoiding vaccines. I'm very pro vaccines, my children have had all of the recommended plus additional ones like hep and hpv. I also disagree about the tomatoes. I grow heirloom variates each year and they taste 10 times as good as any store bought. They are certainly not inedible. I buy organic because it tastes much better and I know what they feed to "regular" cows, chickens ect.. We are too far removed from what we eat (I'm in no way involved with farming in any way) My goal is to avoid the unnatural hormones and antibiotics when I buy organic. If you are what you eat and I believe we are I don't want those "extras" in my body or in my growing children's.

 

[superme80]

As much as we can.

 

[Dancind]

Absolutely avoid GMOs, though I'm sure some slips in since we occasionally eat out. I figure at least 90% non GMO, but also wish there were labels.

If you eat foods with Canola oil you are eating GMO. It's in so many prepared foods. Whole Foods could float in it.

Once your health (or a family member's) goes in the toilet you find yourself willing to spend a bigger proportion of your budget on food in an effort to salvage it.

 

[tvguy]

And you think Monsanto is giving away their GMO seeds and pesticides for free? No they are not. GMO will not feed the world - it costs more (in the US our government subsidizes it so you don't see the real costs ). Monsanto tricked Indian farmers into growing GMO cotton saying they will get increased yields. Instead the farmers got crushing debt from buying the GMO seeds and pesticides. Many committed suicide because they saw no way out if the debt.


And there have been studies that show increased yields from corn are coming from the non-GMO varieties. GMO varieties have lower yields.

Why on earth would farmers switch to GMO seeds if it didn't make them more money? Sorry, that doesn't make sense.

 

[Disneyhabs]

Nope life is short enough without adding more garbage to your plate to worry about. Eat what you want and what you like.

 

[ellone]

Why on earth would farmers switch to GMO seeds if it didn't make them more money? Sorry, that doesn't make sense.

Propaganda. Monsanto spends tons of money getting misinformation out there and farmers are fooled into believing it. And there is a revolving door between working at the FDA and Monsanto so the FDA is not unbiased when it comes to GMOs.

Heck Obama promised GMO labeling the first time he ran for office, but then hired an ex-Monsanto lawyer as his 'food czar' so he never mentioned it again.

 

[Poohforyou]

Yes, I do but it's mostly an after affect of some diet choices I made several years ago. I don't eat highly processed foods like bread, cakes, cookies, crackers, chips, etc. Basically no flour of any kind and very little sugar of any kind. That alone cuts out gmo's tremendously. I do have some soy milk and it may not be non-gmo. I also buy organic of the most dirty foods and grass fed beef.

 

[karenbaco]

I wish that organic fruits and veggies were more readily available to me. The nearest Whole Foods is 45 minutes away. I did go there recently and they didn't even have "organic" grapes. That is the worst fruit as far as pesticides and we love them!! Bummer......

 

[ellone]

I wish that organic fruits and veggies were more readily available to me. The nearest Whole Foods is 45 minutes away. I did go there recently and they didn't even have "organic" grapes. That is the worst fruit as far as pesticides and we love them!! Bummer......

Organic grapes aren't available all the time. Many fruits can only be grown organically on a large scale in certain areas due to the natural pests so they go along with the seasons. I know I can never get local organic apples here in CT due to our pests, but apples can be grown organically in WA due to the lack of these pests.

My parents have raspberry bushes and a pest invaded them last year. So this year we'll have to toss any fruit that starts to take of the problem organically. Sucks, but that's the way managing pests organically works.

 

[winterman]

Can someone explain to me how GMO is different from the cross breeding that has always been done to plants and animals?

I do not avoid GMOs because I don't see the difference.

 

[ellone]

Can someone explain to me how GMO is different from the cross breeding that has always been done to plants and animals?

I do not avoid GMOs because I don't see the difference.

Cross breeding is keeping traits that the plant or animal already has. The other controlling genes within the plant are there.

GMOs is taking a gene from a completely different organism (the BT toxin that is in corn comes from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria). Because a host organism naturally rejects genes from other organisms they use E Coli virus and other bacteria (bacteria is used to breech the cell wall, the same kind of bacteria that cause tumors!) to trick the plant into accepting it. An incorrect assumption that is made is that each gene only expresses one trait, but this is NOT true. So by splicing them in you are introducing a whole bunch of uncontrollable other traits (the original organism that had the gene has other genes in their DNA to control these other traits, the new organism does not).

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I don't even think much about it. I'm on so many medications anyway I have unnatural stuff in my body. I don't freak myself out by reading about it.

 

[Geoff_M]

And you think Monsanto is giving away their GMO seeds and pesticides for free? No they are not. GMO will not feed the world - it costs more (in the US our government subsidizes it so you don't see the real costs ).

Ah, yes, Monsanto, the "Great Satan" of the anti-GMO movement. Because until they came along, no other seed producer ever wanted to profit from the sales of the strains they developed using traditional genetic modification, nor did anyone else try to protect such strains... or something.

As for the profit motive, others here may want to read about the Vitamin A bearing "Golden Rice" aimed at preventing blindness and ending a deficiency which is estimated to kill 670,000 children under the age of 5 each year. It, and its successors, have been developed by a mix of public and private sources... including Monsanto. They were also one of the first companies to grant free licenses for such products in developing parts of the world. They also agreed to allow such farmers to keep and replant such strains as part of the deal.

 

[Geoff_M]

Cross breeding is keeping traits that the plant or animal already has. The other controlling genes within the plant are there.

GMOs is taking a gene from a completely different organism (the BT toxin that is in corn comes from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria). Because a host organism naturally rejects genes from other organisms they use E Coli virus and other bacteria (bacteria is used to breech the cell wall, the same kind of bacteria that cause tumors!) to trick the plant into accepting it. An incorrect assumption that is made is that each gene only expresses one trait, but this is NOT true. So by splicing them in you are introducing a whole bunch of uncontrollable other traits (the original organism that had the gene has other genes in their DNA to control these other traits, the new organism does not).

But here's the rub, with "traditional" genetic modification, any number of genes may be affected... not just the one(s) being targeted. Which can produce another whole set of unintended consequences (see "Africanized Honey Bees"). The bottom line, is that it cannot be demonstrated that one type of genetic modification is inherently "safer" and any other... other than appealing to an emotional response about a host of science fiction-like horrors (which is the whole point of people using the "Frankenfood" pejorative).

 

[Sacha_L]

Here is my issue with Mobsanto :

They produce a seed product and a farmer purchases and plants it. After harvesting and during spring the next year a neighboring farmer also plants his crop and some of Monsanto's also come up. It's called drift and anyone who has a neighbor with dandelions in their yard knows it's impossible to stop. It's the wind rain and birds. But now Monsanto wants money from the neighbor who never wanted to buy/grow GMO seed in the first place. And they sue this poor farmer. Most farmers don't have the money to fight a lengthy court battle against a multi-million dollar company and so they have to give up.

 

[tvguy]

Cross breeding is keeping traits that the plant or animal already has. The other controlling genes within the plant are there.

GMOs is taking a gene from a completely different organism (the BT toxin that is in corn comes from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria).

Yes, taking a gene from completely different organism is GMO, but so is cross breeding, at least according to the FDA's definition.
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodscienceresearch/biotechnology/ucm346030.htm

I think that is part of the reason a ballot effort to force labeling of GMO's failed here in California. Under the current definition every variety of tomato, orange and grape would have to be labeled as GMO.

 

[Geoff_M]

Here is my issue with Mobsanto :

They produce a seed product and a farmer purchases and plants it. After harvesting and during spring the next year a neighboring farmer also plants his crop and some of Monsanto's also come up. It's called drift and anyone who has a neighbor with dandelions in their yard knows it's impossible to stop. It's the wind rain and birds. But now Monsanto wants money from the neighbor who never wanted to buy/grow GMO seed in the first place. And they sue this poor farmer. Most farmers don't have the money to fight a lengthy court battle against a multi-million dollar company and so they have to give up.

But this is not a GMO issue, it's a Monsanto issue. The same thing in theory could be done with a patented strain developed with "traditional" genetic modification. I'm not here to defend the every action of the company, but it's important to realize that "Monsanto" is not "GMO", and "GMO" is not "Monsanto".

 

[ellone]

As for the profit motive, others here may want to read about the Vitamin A bearing "Golden Rice" aimed at preventing blindness and ending a deficiency which is estimated to kill 670,000 children under the age of 5 each year. It, and its successors, have been developed by a mix of public and private sources... including Monsanto. They were also one of the first companies to grant free licenses for such products in developing parts of the world. They also agreed to allow such farmers to keep and replant such strains as part of the deal.

Problem with "golden rice" is that there are no studies that show that there will be sufficient carotenoid levels left after storage & cooking. Studies haven't been done (well, 2 flawed and controversial studies notwithstanding). Well, maybe studies have been done, but they haven't been released & publish for public & independent scrutiny.

Real solutions to malnutrition is the use of vitamin supplements, fortifications of food and home gardens to diversify diets. But these just aren't as exciting as saying 'golden rice' will feed the people.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I do some.

For those that do watch for GMOs there is a great app that will tell you about the "health" rating of foods. I don't use it a lot, but it gives different information than food labels. Gives ratings from A to F in being healthful. I was surprised by some of the ratings. It's pretty cool, you can scan the bar codes and the ratings come up with explanations (including GMOs). I don't have time to use it much. Usually I'm zooming through the grocery. It also has a library of foods and ratings. Pretty interesting stuff.

The app is called: Fooducate.

I'm an app junky.