Moderator: okbye
nolafoodie wrote:The genetic modification, in and of itself, is not harmful to humans or any other animals that will consume such food, as the proteins are broken down in digestion. (Disclaimer: there have been accounts that some GM foods have triggered sensitivities in people consuming them, because they take on other characteristics besides the intended ones. Last time I checked, there was no strong evidence one way or the other, but it's been a while, so it might be worth a look-see at the extant literature.)
However, what is most definitely harmful is the amount of chemical residue that these foods would contain. In general, GM crops are designed by chemical companies to be able to withstand massive amounts of whatever chemicals the company is peddling. Take the ubiquitous Monsanto Roundup-ready example: Monsanto, the company that makes the weed killer Roundup, genetically modified some crops to be immune to Roundup, so that farmers could go ape$#!+ using Roundup all over their crops and kill everything but the crop they are trying to farm. While this is a highly effective and efficient way to get rid of weeds that could harm crops, the fact remains that these crops have been bathed in herbicide. You gonna eat that?
And that's just the self-centered human safety argument, without considering the ecological consequences of that herbicide bath. What happens to animals that pick at those Roundup-soaked soybeans (before washing them, to boot)? What happens to the animals that pray on those animals? What happens when all that Roundup gets rounded up into the groundwater? It becomes an ecological $#!+storm.
Of course, I'd be remiss not to mention the economic consequences, particularly for smaller farming operations. It's a pretty complicated scene, but basically, bigger farms can afford to spend big bucks on GM seed year after year. Smaller operations that can't afford them, or choose not to use them, don't buy them. However, if a farm that doesn't produce GM crops is located near one that does, nature will inevitably take its course and genetic material from the GM crops will reach the non-GM ones. Going back to the Roundup example, to make a long story short, Monsanto will sue the $#!+ out of farmers whose crops contain their proprietary DNA without having paid for the privilege.
So, are GM crops necessary for survival? No. Agriculture needs a paradigm shift toward more sustainable practices. If they try to work with, rather than against, nature, the whole planet will benefit (or at least not go to $#!+).
A good thing? No, I really don't think so, even if some of these seeds are donated to famine-stricken parts of the world. There's always a price involved.
An evil thing? No, not evil either. Technology is not evil. It's the application that may or may not be.
The question you did not ask: Do I consume them? Heck, yeah. They're everywhere. It's really hard and really expensive to avoid them (and, according to some recent research, even "organic" foods can contain GM "contaminants").
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest