Genetically modified food

[AmosMoses]

GM food is not dangerous for human health. At all. At least the risk of it being dangerous to eat is vanishingly small. Excepting that some psycho could cause your rice to overexpress some deadly toxin.

The real risk is in driving ecology toward homogeneity. Lets say you could make a "super rice" crop which had 3x yield and was resistant to all known rice diseases. The problem would be that one day, one disease would find a way to kill your crop. Then you have lost ALL of your rice. That would cause you issues.

Also it's possible that you could get horizontal gene transfer from GM crops to non-GM crops. If for example your insect resistant crop imparted insect resistance to all the surrounding plants. Then you are going to effect the food chain all the way up.

 

[Naeras]

There's no logical reason why changing the genetical expression in a plant should be dangerous to humans. Unless, of course, the protein in question is actually poisonous, but why would anyone manipulate food specifically to do be poisonous? The actual dangers with genetically modified food is an ecological one, as it might lead to monoculture or unforeseen consequences if crossed with non-modified food types. As someone who studies stuff like this, that's the only gripe I have with genetically modified food.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

The problem is that no one really knows exactly what effects it has on the human body.

Countless studies have been dedicated to the subject. The ones stating it is harmless are usually financed by companies selling genetically modified food, while the ones stating it is harmful are typically financed by BIO companies. Go figure.

The ones not financed by either havent really come up with an answer yet. At least, thats what was going on the last time I really had a look at the subject...

Ive visited a GM crops labs called syngenta and have work experience there.

The plants are given DNA splices from othre plants that share resistences, causing them to alter protien productionto be more similar to the plant that was spliced in, in a laymans terms. If you ate both the original plant before splicing and the plant you spliced in you get all the protiens present in the final plant in your body. Its not like they are poisonous. Theres no reason it would do any harm ever. I want one study its harmfull at all. To anyone. Ever.

I found a study so old saying GM crops were bad that the main reason they cited was "Scientists dont understand DNA well enough, we dont even know what human DNA all does" We mapped the human genome. So we do. Like 4 years ago? Thats how old this is.

 

[Guffe]

Can anyone come up with legitimate arguements against it?

Nope...
Because before they start selling it they make sure you can't get anything from it.

Then again ever heard about a thing called wheat?
Yeah, that's genetically modified, the "original" wheat on earth was poisonus so they took away the poison = genetically modified and one of the most used ingredients on this planet.

 

[Dejawesp]

To quote someone else.

If we only grew organic food we would only have enough food to feed 1.5 billion people. So which 4.5 billion are going to go away?

Genetically modified food has to go through very critical testing before it even ends up in the stores.

Meanwhile organic food is so weak against pests that they have to use more and stronger pesticides to grow them which ironically means that the organic food contains more harmful chemicals that goes into the bodies of people who eat it.

 

[Ruwrak]

Actually, my honest view is that the world is to full and to crowded to support such a big stock of humans on this globe. I would think that since we already have food that is not 'natural' as some people claim it. Meaning we're sustaining our species with things we made up.

If the chemical / produced foodproducts would fall away from our world. How will most people come by then? I think the population will drop quite rapidly actually. But egh erm my views on genetically engineered food? Well if we need it to sustain our species #, then we're not doing right for the planet sake.

Yeah, that's genetically modified, the "original" wheat on earth was poisonus so they took away the poison = genetically modified and one of the most used ingredients on this planet.

You mean they had means to cleanse the poison from wheat in the middle ages when they used it for making bread & beer? I'm not sure if you can call that genetically modified really..

What's the definition of the case anyway, before we all start talking about a different interpretation of the word |3

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

you're not seeing the whole picture, you can't just constantly plant crops in the same area

Sure you can, there's these places they have called 'farms' where they constantly plant crops in the same area.

it degrades the soil to the point that there are no nutrients, producing inferior crops and much lower yields

If you're stupid enough to constantly plant the same crop repeatedly in the same area, yes. However crop rotation has a very important place in modern industrial agricultural, and unlike oldey timey crop rotation now they do it backed up with Science. Some of the farmers I know have 8 year crop plans based on the soil composition of their fields and what nutrients various crop types take and return to the soil. Soil science is serious business with farmers.

(Don't get me started on rice, it doesn't end well)

GM foods (if properly tested and deemed okay) could be modified to take less out of the soil, or produce a double yeild on the plants, Genetically modifying foods doesn't change the chemistry of them, only minor changes in the biology of them.

Or we could genetically engineer people to have more efficient digestive systems! Or give people chlorophyl so they can photosynthesise! There's a real Green revolution for you.

Here's one thing people never seem to be able to answer me, though... Who grows the food when the abundance of food crops causes the arse to fall out of the markets and all the farmers go broke?

If this future point in time of miracle plants also has a global utopian society, that's cool but people need to mention this beforehand... and they should also state if there are flying cars or not because flying cars are cool.

The bolded statements are not quite true, if the researchers in the west get GM foods right, the seeds will likely be introduced into everyday crop farming, thus reducing the price over time, and as the seeds/plants become cheaper, because the more you make something, the more efficient you get at it, R&D costs would likely be subsidised for the first few years, or until GM crops move into large scale and wider introduction into the food chain, then a small percentage of the overall cost of the product would be sent back into R&D for future use.

Right... so even though we have food surpluses today that aren't given to the starving masses except as aid, GM crops are going to magically change the global economy so that transportation and distribution costs are negated?

I'm not against GM food but it's not a cure to world hunger because that isn't caused by a global shortage of food.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

Our water is purified. Our food has preservatives and otehr additives to make it more palatable, hell even coloring to make it look better.

I think if we are ever forced to eat true natural food again our stomachs wouldn't be able to digest it. Thats my only real issue, but it only becomes a true event if something horrific happens like nuclear fall out so eh.

Though I have heard rumors that Blue 1 causes cancer, but I never could find any proof online. So its probably not true.

 

[omega 616]

snip

Well even if you go to a farmers market and buy the food he claims has never even been in 100 miles of another GM food, he would still be wrong, even though he honestly believes it.

Carrots used to be black for example, if you saw a black carrot you would probably think it was REALLY off. Weird, huh?

Basically everything we eat now has been genetically altered, sure we are doing it in a lab now rather than with selective breeding but we are just using a refined method.

Plus if you watch "Britain's really disgusting food" you will find out that the amount of chemicals and rubbish that we eat is mind boggling. Like the minimum amount of good meat that is allowed in a sausage is something like 13%, anything less and it has to be called a banger.


If we can stomach eating stuff like that, we wont be harmed from GM.

ps. Sorry ruining fast food for everybody!

 

[Aurgelmir]

For something that has allowed so much more food availibility in the world, there sure is a lot of resistance to it.

Next time someone resist, ask them if they eat Bananas or Carrots. If the answer is yes, tell them they are hypocrites.

A lot of the plant foods humans eat has at one point or another been cross pollenated to make the crops better, this is gene modification. Anyone that disagree haven't got a clue what htye talk about.

 

[Killertje]

The biggest problem with GM food is that the research done for a new "species" of crop isn't enough. The long term effects aren't studied at all because that would take 50 years or more. So if it seems safe after say 2 or 3 years and the new food is better (for whatever reason) than the old it will be mass produced. There is always a chance that a gene that makes the food grow faster or bigger or makes it resistant to poisons gets absorbed by insects or bacteria which would screw up the entire ecosystem. But hey, as long as we save more monies now, everything else is the problem of the next generation... right?

 

[Viptorian]

It can be a dangerous thing in the long run.

Most veggies are produced sterile now so that you can't harvest seeds and plant them. For that matter, almost all commercial seeds available in the US are genetically modified so that the resulting plant does not produce seeds resulting in you having to go buy more).

All bananas are clones of the same banana and if there were to be some massive issue affecting bananas DNA (I'm no scientist so I can't say what that would be), it could be bad juju.

If I go buy a tomato, I can't grow more unless it is an heirloom tomato (more expensive and harder to find), because the regular ones don't contain viable seeds.

Locally grown food is the best way to go about things because it causes fewer problems, makes shipping easier, can be healthier to eat (honey, for example, is best when local because the bees uses locally grown pollens and those with allergies might be more used to those).

Splicing and enhancing traits, fine. I don't like synthetic modifications, though.

 

[Sectan]

Genetically modified crops don't bother me at all. I think Moviebob did a show on "Franken Food." Instead of years of pollinating plants, letting them grow and pollinating them again, scientists just go in and change the genes themselves instead of waiting for nature to do it. Or something along those lines.

 

[Hazy992]

Genetically modified crops don't bother me at all. I think Moviebob did a show on "Franken Food." Instead of years of pollinating plants, letting them grow and pollinating them again, scientists just go in and change the genes themselves instead of waiting for nature to do it. Or something along those lines.

I was just about to write something about Norman Borlaug. Good to see someone's already beat me to it

OT: Yeah Norman Borlaug has saved over a billion (with a B) people from starvation. All thanks to GM crops. I think that is reason enough to use more GM crops.

And some people seem to forget what GM means. Bananas, carrots and cows (to name but a few) are all GM.

 

[Rednog]

There is always a chance that a gene that makes the food grow faster or bigger or makes it resistant to poisons gets absorbed by insects or bacteria which would screw up the entire ecosystem.\

But that's not how genes work....at all.
No, seriously. If you think that is any way viable I seriously urge you to stop studying whatever science field you're in.
DNA is actually very very fragile, and there really is no way any gene survives the digestive process, hell DNA can't exist alone inside a cell without being destroyed and you somehow think that not only will the DNA survive insanely harsh conditions in digestive systems but that gene will be somehow transported to the exact cells in which they could cause the feared effect. Once at the very specific site they would have to have some sort of mechanism to be uptaken into the cell. Once again the odds of the gene being digested in the cell is high. Then you would have to have some miracle where the DNA would be recognized and taken to the target's DNA...
You know what the process goes on, summary is...no.

 

[Rednog]

It can be a dangerous thing in the long run.

Most veggies are produced sterile now so that you can't harvest seeds and plant them. For that matter, almost all commercial seeds available in the US are genetically modified so that the resulting plant does not produce seeds resulting in you having to go buy more).

All bananas are clones of the same banana and if there were to be some massive issue affecting bananas DNA (I'm no scientist so I can't say what that would be), it could be bad juju.

If I go buy a tomato, I can't grow more unless it is an heirloom tomato (more expensive and harder to find), because the regular ones don't contain viable seeds.

Locally grown food is the best way to go about things because it causes fewer problems, makes shipping easier, can be healthier to eat (honey, for example, is best when local because the bees uses locally grown pollens and those with allergies might be more used to those).

Splicing and enhancing traits, fine. I don't like synthetic modifications, though.

So seeds modified so you have to buy more, yea it is a business in the US. Making the seeds costs a lot of time and money, if you don't protect your investment you would only get a few rounds of seed sales before people would have to stop buying seed from you.

Fewer problems? How so? Local grown organic stuff can actually use more problems because they don't have the same protection as the GE crops and usually require more time/money to maintain.

Shipping? Things are going to be shipped long distances no matter what. I hope you realize climates in places all around the world vary by quite a big degree, and isn't viable for a good variety of crops to grow. If you limited growth/shipping to local areas only be prepared to never see something like an orange or a banana again.

Umm might want someone to fact check that bee pollen thing. Let's say in theory that the allergen from the pollen is somehow transferred in the honey making process to the honey. If people in the area are allergic to the local pollen then they in turn would be allergic to this honey containing the allergen of the pollen.
Constant exposure to something doesn't make you less allergic to it. Allergies don't work like that.

 

[Wieke]

I love the concept of GM food. And if it is deemed safe for human concumption (following the standards for all the other stuff i've been eating so far) I will eat it. Granted some (maybe a lot, i don't know) of the politics/economics surrounding GM crops are downright despicable.

Also bring on the artificial meat! (Again once found safe for human consumption.)

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Then you would have to have some miracle where the DNA would be recognized and taken to the target's DNA...

There is one possible way GM DNA could end up transfering... but as long as you don't eat people who've had viral vectored gene therapy without first cooking them then there's nothing to worry about...

...and it only counts if you accept gene therapy as GM.

 

[Denamic]

We've been 'genetically modifying' foods since pre-historic times.
Every single meat, every fruit, and every vegetable you buy in stores are GM.
The 'organic' alternatives are just 50% more expensive and were grown using inferior and often actually more toxic fertilizers and pesticides.