My objection to GMO, is not frankenfood. It’s the idea that seed which you buy is not really yours to do with as you wish, as you can do with heirlooms. Monsanto is a major employer in Missouri, so I do like to support their efforts when I can.
Another objection is the fact that much of the GMO produce at the grocery has been treated with Roundup, and there’s no way for the consumer to know how much. Roundup is not a product that I would use on food I intended to eat in any quantity.
I have to admit, that when I read that fish DNA is being inserted into Tomato genes, I do wonder how that would have been possible with the old hybridization techniques, what sort of testing was done to make sure it was safe. How many years did we eat margarine with Trans Fats (we were told it was better for us than butter) before we learned it was not in fact a good thing to have in our diet.
After reading “Seeds of Deception” I am not 100% sure that GMO food has proven to be 100% safe. I do have a background in the sciences, with enough biology, chemistry, and physics to give me a double major in Math and Science. No expert, but I do have a smattering of knowledge about such.
Intellectually, I think it should be safe. However, when I read that a scientist who was hired to test some GMO produce to show that it was safe, and expected to find no detriment, actually does find data that causes him to question that premise, then I have to admit to some sliver of doubt.
Of course, those involved with producing GMO foods, and the government assure us it’s ok, and they are 100% trust worthy and never wrong - right?
I’ll stick with mostly heirlooms, the occasional ole time hybrid, and no pesticides on my food, whenever possible, but that’s just me - no need for everyone else to follow suit.
Spinach and Tomatoes etc. being blamed for E-Coli and other illnesses/outbreaks is what did it for me. Had nothing to do with GMO, but that’s when I decided and started growing my own stuff.
When I was a teenager, I read the available material about smoking. I was not sure whether smoking was detrimental to a person’s health or not, so I just decided not to take the chance. That’s kinda the way I am and where I am with GMOs - I’d like to see some really good independent well designed scientific studies on the issue - something not sponsored by the industry. After all, I am from Missouri - the “show me state”.LOL
My position on GMOs is not to convince anyone one way or the other. I do think that I have a right to know whether a food that I am purchasing contains GMO products, and a right to decline to eat it, or even to stuff my self to the gills with it if I want to eat it. So that’s where I am on the subject. ((smiles)).
Hope we’re ok on the subject?
I’m not big on GMOs; just that (most) corn is one of the exceptions, IF it is not also “Roundup-ready”. That is mainly commercial corn seed, not generally available to gardeners, AFAIK, though that may be quietly changing without labeling as such. OTOH, Roundup-ready crops don’t produce viable seeds; but planting a Roundup-ready seed only produces a plant resistant to glyphosate, but doesn’t require it be used—thought the farmers obviously will on commercial crops.
The seed saving aspect of GMOs is a concern for sure, and the court decisions on that are terrible. In the cases where where even non-GMO seed from adjacent fields pollinated by the neighbor’s GMO crop is considered a patent violation if planted, it’s a travesty.
I was only pointing out that your hubby’s corn, even if GMO, is safe for consumption.
As for the cross-species manipulation, forget it. That opens too many problems in solving a non-problem, especially in these days of seemingly increasing allergies & allergy-like diseases.