GMO crops - why is it that discussions tend to focus on the unimportant question:

[hedgehog]

Most discussions I've seen come down to one question: are GMO foods poisonous?

Given the ubiquity if GMO crops in the US, I think it's safe to say that GMO foods aren't immediately poisonous in the same sense as cyanide or even lead. I would like to see a study examining whether GMO foods have more subtle effects; say on metabolism. But still, any harmful effects from the consumption of GMO crops are easily eliminated by not eating them.

The more harmful and harder to repair possible damages from GMO crops are what happens in the environment. Do GMO crops disrupt food chains? Do they spread genes from where we want them to where we don't want them? Do they threaten some species and encourage others? Does the use of GMO crops encourage practices such as the use of herbicides which themselves may be harmful? Does the use of GMO crops discourage research into and use of alternate methods of increasing harvests that would enhance, not harm the environment?

[Avalux]

1. It's a red herring.

Of course they're not poisonous in the traditional sense. They use that argument knowing that most people will associate it with being safe, and not delve into the nuances. It's classic messaging from the industry and those backing it.

[KittyWampus]

4. How are they poisonous in the non-traditional sense? And are ALL GMO's poisonous in any sense at all

BTW, I have reliably lambasted Monsato and their agricultural models on DU over the years.

Round Up ready seeds, for instance.

But your post just throws out a vague accusation. I'd like to understand specifically what you are referring to.

[Avalux]

10. When a non-scientific person hears 'poisonous'

they associate it with immediate harm to the body, producing illness and/or death. Genetically modified plants don't fit into this definition, there's no evidence ingesting them will cause immediate harm. However they may be very harmful to human beings over time. This article.....


http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-very-real-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/251051/

[KittyWampus]

2. Thank You. I also focus on the environmental and societal impact. However, I have recently begun

to think we make the mistake of lumping all GMO's together as one behemoth when there are several issues and entities at play.

For instance, Monsato's business model and it's crops agricultural practices are deleterious pretty much across the board.

Is it fair to lump the researchers and farmers working on introducing a gene from spinach into oranges along with Monsato?

[hedgehog]

3. I forgot the side effect of promoting monoculture!

[KittyWampus]

6. Exactly. Even if we ditched Monsato magically, we'd still have a deeply dysfunctional agriculture

Even if we ditched Monsato magically, we'd still have a deeply dysfunctional agricultural model based on monocultures which deplete soil, require more pesticides/fungicides and rely more heavily on industrial bees.

Then there's the whole "growing crops in arid areas in centralized areas" thing.

[cleanhippie]

5. ^^THIS^^

[Silent3]

9. People oversimplify, then decide their oversimplifications are matters of virtue rather than...

...quick rules of thumb for their convenience, rules of thumb which might generously be considered to err on the side of caution, but which can simply be totally wrong and counterproductive in some cases.

It's like people railing against "chemicals" in food, as if all "chemicals" are poisons, as if "chemicals" only means man-made chemicals, as if "artificial = bad, natural = good" -- and anyone out there putting "chemicals" in food must be an evil bastard who's poisoning you for profit.

I'm not personally so afraid of GMOs that I go out of my way to avoid them, but I certainly don't like the ugly business practices Monsanto is developing around them, or the idea of using genetic modifications simply to make crops tolerate larger and larger doses of herbicides and pesticides.

[Brother Buzz]

7. Poisonous or not, how can one avoid GMO products if they aren't labled?

You'd think the brain trusts pushing GMO's would be falling over each other to get their message out there.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Good luck with that, since there has been complete regulatory capture in the US

expect those studies to emerge from places like Europe, even Mexico. The US, you kid me right?

And if Monstanto can help it, you will never hear of those results either. They already exist, with animal models, just not in the US.

[msongs]

11. they allow a few corporations to control ALL food crops everywhere nt