Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Health
In reply to the discussion: Study linking GM crops and cancer questioned. [View all]proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)48. Naturally.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/why-californias-proposition-37-should-matter-to-anyone-who-cares-about-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Vote for the Dinner Party
Is this the year that the food movement finally enters politics?
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Published October 10, 2012
<...>
Surely this explains why Monsanto and its allies have fought the labeling of genetically modified food so vigorously since 1992, when the industry managed to persuade the Food and Drug Administration over the objection of its own scientists that the new crops were substantially equivalent to the old and so did not need to be labeled, much less regulated. This represented a breathtaking exercise of both political power (the F.D.A. policy was co-written by a lawyer whose former firm worked for Monsanto) and product positioning: these new crops were revolutionary enough (a new agricultural paradigm, Monsanto said) to deserve patent protection and government support, yet at the same time the food made from them was no different than it ever was, so did not need to be labeled. Its worth noting that ours was one of only a very few governments ever sold on this convenient reasoning: more than 60 other countries have seen fit to label genetically modified food, including those in the European Union, Japan, Russia and China.
<...>
Vote for the Dinner Party
Is this the year that the food movement finally enters politics?
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Published October 10, 2012
<...>
Surely this explains why Monsanto and its allies have fought the labeling of genetically modified food so vigorously since 1992, when the industry managed to persuade the Food and Drug Administration over the objection of its own scientists that the new crops were substantially equivalent to the old and so did not need to be labeled, much less regulated. This represented a breathtaking exercise of both political power (the F.D.A. policy was co-written by a lawyer whose former firm worked for Monsanto) and product positioning: these new crops were revolutionary enough (a new agricultural paradigm, Monsanto said) to deserve patent protection and government support, yet at the same time the food made from them was no different than it ever was, so did not need to be labeled. Its worth noting that ours was one of only a very few governments ever sold on this convenient reasoning: more than 60 other countries have seen fit to label genetically modified food, including those in the European Union, Japan, Russia and China.
<...>
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
64 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
A fine piece that covers a wider swath of the issue from the science standpoint.
HuckleB
Sep 2012
#2
My opinion? It's scientist vs. scientist / industry's fading efforts to censor independent research.
proverbialwisdom
Oct 2012
#10
Which, in your rigid world view, is any post without an authoritarian stamp of approval
Chemisse
Nov 2012
#62
The saga of 'Scientist' vs Scientist with and without the benefit of the internet. Oh, snap.
proverbialwisdom
Oct 2012
#34
The Slate source brought up Mother Jones writer, Tom Philpott, and so does ThinkProgress.org below.
proverbialwisdom
Oct 2012
#44