Ideal Bite

A FYI for Lindsay, if you are interested in what is going on with GMO's in India read Vandana Shiva. Another fabulous book about food in the US is Michael Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma. In response to Helen's comment, selective breeding is far different than genetic modification. GMO's take genes from one specimen and zap it into the gene of another--salmon gene into tomato genes. With selective breeding you would not be able to mix the gene of a pig with the gene of a mouse. Yes they have done it at Guelph University. I am not a huge proponent of selective breeding as I believe that natural diversity is the way to go. GMO's are just another technology trying to fix the problems of the last technology that didn't work--intensive agriculture.

Audrey states as facts that we have more food produced and fewer people starving in third world countries, children with better eyesight because of GM rice, and less pesticide use because of GM crops. None of these are facts. There is no consensus that GM crops have increased food production, but if we have it is mainly corn and soybeans in the U.S. and South America, which end up as livestock feed. The crops that farmers grow and the poor depend on in third world countries are not genetically modified. Similarly, herbicide and pesticide use is actually going UP because of GM crops, because widespread use of BT and Roundup are leading to BT-resistant pests and Roundup-resistant weeds -- so more, and more toxic chemicals must be used to control weeds, not less. The much-hyped "golden rice" Audrey alludes to has never made it to large scale use and production, for a variety of practical and cultural reasons. Food choices are not just about facts, they are about preferences. But when we are talking about the facts, we should stick to them.

No matter what we think we have control over, people are not the center of the universe. Regardless of how much control we think we have over our environment including producing mass quantities of food, controlling dis-ease, providing the means for every human to live until their 100+, and enabling human reproduction at exponential rates, there is a reason why people are still starving in this world, why we have little control over illnesses, why we’re dying in mass numbers, and why some people can't ever reproduce. We will not solve these problems and have no control at all over any of them. Read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It’s the most logical take on these problems that I’ve ever read.

I also work in a marker lab for a large seed company. I am one of those researchers finding genetic varients. But I am also aware that since the Green Revolution happened in Mexico, India, Us, and everywhere in the world, the population has skyrocketed. We are trying to feed everyone- but that seems to inadvertantly increase the problem. And at the same time, our soil structure is destroyed, water tables lowered, amazon deforested, etc. GMO's are good and bad I guess...

The Monsanto has already monopolized crops like soybeans and corn in the US. They have moved onto all farming regions of the world in an effort to actually own seeds. They are doing tons of GMO work, they say perfecting our crops. But what we get is just one soybean or just one kind of corn. These crops are pesticide resistant!!! Yes, you can spray Roundup right on them and they still live. Even better, you get to eat those soybeans sprayed with Roundup. And Monsanto says it is better for you than the old fashioned soybean. Really? Write your political official and say that you don't want them to pass bill HR 875 and S 425. These bills will allow large companies like Monsanto to copyright and trademark FOOD. Yes! They will be given the right to own the seeds we all need to eat. And if a farmer grows a seed that is not from Monsanto they can be taken to court for allowing "invasive" species to get to close to their "perfect" seeds. Organic may go away. Very scary. Read about these bills now and make up your own mind.

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