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lableling gmo foods in us and canada

Konrad___far_north

11 years ago

What's on your mind on this...
We've bee eating GMO fruits & vegetable etc. for a long time and we're getting older, even the opponents are eating it too, unknowingly. It's a enormous task this labeling,..consumer will pay at the end. GMO is here to stay,.. if we want to feed our ever so overpopulated earth and you don't want grow fruits and veggies yourself.

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Comments (13)

d0ug
11 years ago
BT corn a GMO will kill insects that eat it that sounds great until you realize that means it is an insecticide and they are feeding it to us. There are studies that prove that it does not improve crop yield but it does destroy the land for anything else.
If insecticides should be labeled my answer is yes

This post was edited by d0ug on Thu, Oct 9, 14 at 18:30
d0ug
11 years ago
It is a good question if it gives bigger crops after posting I got curious and with a little research the GM crops are no better than the non GM.
http://www.undergroundhealth.com/gmo-versus-non-gmo-the-shocking-corn-comparison/

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/failure-to-yield.html#.VDcNthbDU7Q

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/02/do-gmo-crops-have-lower-yields
So the idea of feeding the over population might be better served by non GMOs
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I agree with mr clint. The very least they can do i label... I think it depends on what they do with GMO and how they do it. Papaya was saved due to GMO tech. They are thinking of using GMO banana for the same reason. The only thing is it wont stop the problem - monoculture of the same genetic line (im talkin banana). Its known to be part of the problem which is causing the disease in banana, and also all but wiped out the "gros mIchele" banana you older folks may remember eating in the 50s or 60s. The problem I have is with the roundup ready GMO. I see this more of a money making gimmick then helpful. Recent longer term studies have also shown that there may be lasting effects in mammals as well (not with GMO in general, im talkin round up ready gmo). THis is what most people seem to think about when you mention GMO. Again, round up ready strains are due to farmers not wanting anything but their crops (again, usually blocks of monoculture with try to force succession into overdrive) It also just seems to be a big business plan rather then helping farmers (again, in regards to round up ready/monsanto crops, not GMO in general). The real problem IMO, is the fact that even though many GMO crops are labeled as "infertile" or "seedless" or "pollenless" this does not mean completely. GMO grains have escaped cultivation. There have been many law suits on monantos behalf for "copyright" because gmo genes have showed up in non GMO crops as well. There needs to be more studies done on how much damage, if any that gmo pollen can cause on non gmo crops and that industry. You also cannot save monsanto seeds. I also wouldt be surprised if the definition of GMO was changed. You can in theory apply it to cross breeding plants, as well as synthetic crosses and work on the genome in labs. The vast majority of people seem to think of GMO as foods worked on in labs and having non plant or non species genes implanted into its genome. I think they can be used for our benefit, and even natures benefit. The problem is that there seem to be many pressing problems with our food crops. Namely citrus and banana at the moment. This also makes GMO research and implementation seem a bit rushed. Like these quotes from monantos own site: "Thus, there is no need to undertake lifetime animal cancer studies for GM foods that contain new DNA, RNA, and proteins with well-characterized functions" "Why aren’t you running human clinical trials on GM crops? Because existing food crops are recognized as safe, the logical starting point for safety assessment of a GM food is to ask “what’s different?”" How do you know they are safe without running clinical trials? There have been some done, some which I have posted before, in which the scientists needed a court order to get what little clinical data monanto had to compare. All legitamate longer term studies now have found some discrepancies, but all agree there needs to be way more long term studies in regards to round up ready GMO. I have not heard of such problems with GMO crops like papaya. To me, using GMO is like a bandaid for trying to cover the damage that modern day agriculture causes. The problem is people are either unwilling to change, or there is not enough evidence to suggest other ways of farming. Has anyone seen the new study showing that type of rizobia that can attatch itself to any seed or root system, therefore letting the plant take in atmospheric nitrogen, like a legume? I think that has more impact then GMO food at the moment.
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User
11 years ago
All growing plants contain insecticides to prevent being eaten. If they did not we would not have any thing to eat. The question is which ones are being added to food stuffs.
aurorawa
11 years ago
Technically, seedless fruits and veggies, orange carrots, and any other crops bred to exploit beneficial (to us) mutations, are GM.
I am not against this type of genetic modification.
sunnyca_gw
11 years ago
Every time I eat name brand corn flakes they taste great but I barely get bowl in sink when I run to bathroom & up it all comes. I have a lot of allergies so couple of times of "losing my breakfast food" was enough to cure me of eating cornflakes. I know they put a "mold" gene in 1 of the foods, I'm very allergic to mold & can't have penicillin .I want them labeled so I know why I'm getting sick & so I can avoid that item.
Konrad___far_north
Original Author
11 years ago
Well yes, if anything makes you sick or allergic to it then it should be labeled, just like peanut butter.
So far I've been hearing that GMO foods are safe and research has shown it.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
Gosh, the misinformation that surrounds genetically modified foods is enormous!! A great deal of it is due to organizations that promote fear mongering above scientific research. (btw, the term should be 'genetically engineered', as genetic modification occurs naturally with cross pollination).

First, in the grand scheme of agriculture, very few crops have been genetically altered. And to date, no animals. And most of those crops have been altered only to become resistant to herbicides or insecticides that would have been sprayed on them anyway, were they not modified. So you are getting the impact of the pesticide either way.

Bt modified corn is one example. Bacillus thuringiensis is a naturally occuring organism that is a targeted pesticide for various caterpillars and depending on strain, some insect larvae. It is widely used for all manner of agricultural and horticultural purposes and is considered an organic control. Bt is widely used as a spray in populated areas to control gypsy moths and is a primary control for mosquito larvae. It has been found to have NO affect on humans, animals, birds or anything other than the targeted organisms.

Bt has been used for years to control corn borer and corn ear worm. Bt modified corn has been altered to express the protein in Bt into the corn's DNA to result in the same sort of resistance to the corn pests as spraying would accomplish. It HAS resulted in better yields - they wouldn't continue this very expensive process otherwise - and it certainly does not "destroy the land for anything else". Afterall, this organism exists naturally in the soil!

Discussions about the pros and cons of genetically modified foods are fine but lets enter into it from a place of knowledge rather than a rote repetition of unfounded speculation. Do your research first and make sure the sources are science-based.

As to labelling, I really don't have a horse in that race......I don't really care at this point in time but will save my objections, if any, when the scope of GMO'd food crops is larger, if that should occur.

fwiw, you should know that there are no vegetable seeds or plant starts available to home gardeners that have been genetically modified. This type of technology is reserved only for big agriculture - it is hugely expensive and takes many years to develop - so if you DO have concerns, grow your own produce.
User
11 years ago
Often throwing up after eating something is your mind. My father had that problem. He loved steak with tomato sauce, potatoes, and a few carrots. He always got sick after he ate. However when I cut the meat up in chunks and called it beef stew he had no problems. He did this with several things that he loved but had convinced himself that he should not be eating them.
Konrad___far_north
Original Author
11 years ago
What do you say about this...true or false?

Here is a link that might be useful: Report: GMOs linked to gluten disorders plaguing 18 million Americans
d0ug
11 years ago
All the test say it is safe but who done the test the people who make the GMOs.
The GMO backed government said that no one needs to test because we said so.
The test were done for 90 days then ended but test in other countries went further and showed cancer and other problems.
This is probably why Europe and many countries are saying no to GMOs they are not yet controlled by the GMO lobby.
The BS about feeding the world has not panned out and there is prof that GM crops are no better than non GM crops.
It is very hard to get main stream media to cover the truth and the only ones that are are the alternative media.
Elmer J Fudd
11 years ago
"What do you say about this...true or false?"

False.

The source is a political organization, not a scientific one.

There might be something about GMOs to be concerned with, but people like this guy only add to confusion, not to understanding.
Konrad___far_north
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you all!

Colorado had a vote in this, 66% said no.

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado Mandatory Labeling of GMOs Initiative, Proposition 105 (2014)
d0ug
11 years ago
I think everyone has a right to know what they are eating.
Some ill informed say they don't have the right to know what they are eating.

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