Fluoride on Trial

Basically, every statement here is not factual. GM food is the safest food in the world because it's the
only food actually tested for safety.
Gene modification goes on with every breeding program.
Previous foods from the 1950s, 1960's etc were sometimes mutated with chemicals or radiation to
accelerate mutations - and you will find such foods (such as carrots without hard cores and exotice
lettuce varieties) growing in "organic" gardens.
The "sneaky" aspect of GM is solely by the enemies of progress - they demand food be labelled and
then demonize the tech.
Once upon a time the same sort of people opposed hybridization and grafting, and even potatoes
and tomatoes.

 

agree, I would stay away from GMO, GMOs should be labeled as such imo

 

Prove it.

 

Right wingers are SOOOOOOOOO predictable!

I’ve been hearing this nonsense since the 1960’s.

It’s always the same old tropes.

 

quote - The health consequences of eating genetically modified organisms are largely unknown. Genetically engineered
foods have not been shown to be safe to eat and may have unpredictable consequences.

Not so. These foods are tested more than non-GM foods. In fact the only dangerous foods have been found to be the
"natural" ones, like potatoes.

Quote - Food items that contain GMOs are unlabeled in America. Why so sneaky?
The "sneaky" lies in political activists who love to label things, then call them into question. What GM tech ought to do is
to label their foods "Guaranteed GM" and then demonstrate how GM is the only safety-tested food on the market.

Quote - The European Union has banned GMOs, as have Australia, Japan, the UK and two dozen other countries that
recognize that a lack of long term studies and testing may be hiding disastrous health defects.

This is a half truth. The banning comes from the politicals, not the science. There's never been "long term testing" of
ANY food.

Quote - Genetic engineering reduces genetic diversity.

How? If I want a cow with more milk, am I going to effect "diversity" of cows? If so, why doesn't selective breeding and
hybridization also effect "diversity." ? Pure bred dogs DO have problems - so that shows that traditional breeding is the
problem because you breed for a characteristic but shift many genes in the process. A GM dog just has that ONE gene
altered, ie coat color, without adversely effecting anything else.

Quote - Once the mutant genes are out of the bag, there is no going back. Genetically modified organisms contaminate
existing seeds with their altered material, passing on modified traits to non-target species.

A "mutant gene" like white white mustard or green grapes can effect other mustard and grapes for miles around. So care
must be taken. If people realize that green grapes are "mutant" and are afraid we will soon have green dogs and green
birds then they need to learn a few things about biology.

Quote - GMOs are not the answer for global food security. Genetically engineered crops have shown no increase in yield and
no decrease in pesticide use.

We will have 16 billion people by the end of the century. If we clear all the land, we might be able to feed them. And in Australia
we have saved tons of pesticide in cotton by using GM tech.

Quote - Big biotech firms have very sketchy track records

For sure. Wouldn't you if activists were on your case? But activists have shut down nearly all research into GM, leaving only a
few of the biggest firms. We need to get every university and little lab working on gene technology. Indeed, we do this already
with diseases. Read yesterday of a GM mosquito used in malaria research - figuring out which brain neurons fire in the presence
of human blood.

Quote - GMOs require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. These things are poisons, and should not be eaten
or allowed to run off into our water supply

Traditional crops require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. These things are poisons, and should not be eaten
or allowed to run off into our water supply

nb - I worked on an "organic farm" - to keep the weeds down we had to keep ploughing the ground over and over again. This required
massive amounts of fuel. And if the weeds outgrew the crop then we scrapped the crop for hay. GM crops, tested for safety, could reduce
pesticide and greenhouse gases.