Genetic Engineering

[harris7]

I saw genetically modified Cherries last year,,,they were doubles,,,looked like red dog balls...

in the produce isle anything tagged with an 4xxx is grown in the US and Mexico,.,anything marked 9xxxx is organic,,,anything 8xxx is genetically modified...

Are you sure? I know about the organic one. But to my knowledge, which may be 6 months out of date, no produce is GM.

harris7 Reviewed by harris7 on 01-07-2007. Genetic Engineering This is a thread that was started as a debate in another. If you would like to join please stop by its beginnings: http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=96684&page=7 Rating: 5

[Skink]

Yup,,, if it starts with an 8 then it is...

[harris7]

Well, it seems I've been defeated in my argument, because my technical knowledge is no where near the same as Harris'
:

Or maybe bob, GM foods arn't good...


An ending note:

First off I greatly value your evidence based critical approach to issues. I wish more people took this road on the forums.

So I come from a science background and welcomed genetic engineering as itâ??s really frickin interesting from a biologists point of view. I believe that many very valuable things will come of it. So when first posed with the topic I supported it. I am now very highly opposed to the use of this technology (in itâ??s current state). This is because of the corporate nature of the companies creating and using this technology. They are putting the technology into use far b4 it has been properly studied, all for their bottom line.

I have attained one of my books on the topic and I thought Iâ??d end with some interesting facts on the topic in hopes that you may persue it further.

Here we go:

â??When GM canola protein was fed to chickens, their death rate was twice that of chickens fed non-GM proteinâ?�

â??In 1993, 11 out of 17 scientists at the USDA opposed the approval of the first GM tomato variety because of concerns about its safety after feeding trials. However, they were overruled by their bosses, who were under great political pressure to grand approvalâ?�
---This product was the flavor savor tomato. It was found to cause lesions in the stomachs of rats. This product was recalled due to customer dissatisfaction a few years later.

â??Even though some claim that GM foods are the most heavily tested in the history of the food industry, there have only ever been TEN scientific feeding safety trials using GM food, five of which (the independent ones) showed differences that were the cause of concern.â?�

---Unfortunately we cannot look at the manufacture to take responsibility.

Here is Phil Angell, Monsantoâ??s director of corporate communications thoughts:

â??Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech (GM) food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDAâ??s Jobâ?�
--kinda sums up a corporations motivation IMO



â??In 2001 the British Medical Association report into GMOs claimed â??insufficient evidenceâ?� to inform a decision on their safetyâ?�

â??In may 2002, 17 pig breeders in Iowa reported a sharp decline, up to 80% in the conception rate of breeding sows. All had one thing in common: they had only used their own farm-grown, GM Bt maize in their pig feed. â?¦ The maize had unusually high levels of fusarium, a mould associated with fungal poisons known as mycotoxins known to cause pseudo-pregnancy. This was a new and unknown mycotoxin that had emerged in reaction to the engineered toxin in the GM maize. The Iowa Farm Bureau recommended that farmers who breed their own pigs stop using GM corn. Humans who eat corn products were given no such warningâ?�


â??In October 2000, after careful research into the matter, Munic RE and Swiss RE, the worldâ??s leading reinsures, announced that they would not insure farmers or food processors for any liability arising from GM foods or farming. Since GM crops were now virtually uninsurable, the EU commission and industry lobbyists pressured the European Parliament to put GM food producers beyond the normal laws of liability. (Much the same happened in the nuclear-power business, it wasâ??and is--- uninsurable.)"


â??Another argument put forward for the safety of GM foods is that Americans have been eating them since 1997 with no ill effects. However, food-related illnesses in the US are estimated to have doubled since 1997â?�

and the big oneâ?¦

â??GM food provides no real benefit to farmers. US farm subsidies have gone from $3 billion to $150 billion a year since GM crops were introduced. There are NO nutritional benefits to GM food. The little safety testing there is indicates health risks!â?�

I love this one:

â??Plants such as maize, soy, and oilseed rape (canola) are engineered to have herbicide resistance. This allows weed killer, such as the herbicide glufosinate, to be sprayed right up to harvest, greatly increasing the risk of residues in the final crop. Glufosinate is both a neurotoxin and a teratogen (causes embryo damage). Would these residues not seriously concern the biotech industry and our governments?

Well before the introduction of GM crops, the biotech industry persuaded US and EU governments to increase the permitted residue of week killers in foods to 20 000 times the previous level.â?�

-These quotes are all taken from the book:
â??The Little Food bookâ?� by Craig Sams

very easy to find on amazon or chapters.com