Are GMOs the climategate of the left?

[FlamesAddiction]

I find it funny that a lot of people who are against GM food, totally justify its existence when they go to the grocery store and always buy only the perfect fruits and vegetables, and leave the ones with flaws to go to waste.

My ex was like that. Always going on and on about evil corporations and GM food, but her behaviour as a consumer was hypocritical.

[Street Pharmacist]

I

Originally Posted by New Era

Yeah, not made up.

http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersO...ds/default.htm

Deputy Commissioner is the highest position in Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine, so that is accurate in the context of the article.

Correct, I was referring to the "inside man" insinuation from the anti-monsanto diatribes, not specifically his existence

The accuracy of the rest of your post is also questionable, as there are many studies that show definitive links between rBGH and various forms of cancer.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerc...growth-hormone
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clea...h-hormone.html

Both of those links state very specifically that there is no definitive link between rBGH and cancer. In fact, the first one suggests there's none at all

You have to understand that there are some very powerful interests that make gobs of money off of Monsanto's cornering of markets. Anyone that attempts to stand up to them gets crushed. Even when the truth tries to get out, these powerful interests shut them down.

http://www.nationofchange.org/2-fox-...ilk-1385184532

This particular suit resulted in changes to laws about the press, where the requirement for the press to act in the public's best interest, and tell the truth on issues of health and public safety, were dismissed. News bureaus are now able to say what ever they want and bury the truth, if their management so desires.

That particular suit is also not how you put it. The television station fired the reporters for threatening them to file a complaint with the FCC. They were mad because the station edited their story, which the station felt the reporters were not being fair. The jury found against the husband on every point, and all but the whistleblowers statute for the wife, which was later overturned.


This really doesn't show anything at all except the station fired the couple after they threatened the station. It's really the station's word against the reporter's. Station said they were presenting biased information, reporters threatened them, and were fired. That's the whole story


Also, no laws were changed that I could find

[Thor]

Oh there is way too much coziness between large corporations and the regulators, if you want to single out Monsanto so be it, but this is commonplace in all industries where money in politics leads to positions in regulatory bodies and government oversight.

Again, people focus on Monsanto because its become this "thing" and not because they are especially evil, only evil like most of these big companies are

[Thor]

Also wanted to add, I've become so wary of the organic food movement that I tend to avoid anything labeled "organic" anymore, as its usually just no better quality and much more expensive.

Considering the companies most profiting off the "organic" trend are huge corporations pretending to be small farmer companies.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Thor

Also wanted to add, I've become so wary of the organic food movement that I tend to avoid anything labeled "organic" anymore, as its usually just no better quality and much more expensive.

Considering the companies most profiting off the "organic" trend are huge corporations pretending to be small farmer companies.

I have noticed a few of the small grass fed beef farms around Calgary specifically aren't organic. Their argument being that local sourcing is better than organic and that all of the hoops to jump through to ensure an organic product do nothing to improve the end product and just increase cost.

I agree that I do not buy organic, or even more laughable is the highly processed refined foods with an organic label slapped on them. What I do buy in terms of fresh produce is locally grown. Where the freshness of the product makes it taste better. Some of this happens to be organic, some of it mostly organic but not certified, and some conventional.

[Thor]

Yep for me its always buy from local farmers if possible, it just tastes better and its not much harder to do since they are all so close by Reykjavik.

[burn_this_city]

My wife is an organic food fanatic, anything I can show her that proves organic is a selling gimmick more than anything?

[Thor]

I'll try to collect some good articles on that topic, here's one to start with.

http://www.examiner.com/article/is-t...to-buy-organic

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

My wife is an organic food fanatic, anything I can show her that proves organic is a selling gimmick more than anything?

The following steps are a sure fire way.

1. Go to Community Natural foods and see if they will sell you a case of their bags. Then go to Safeway and buy some regular food and put it in those bags when you come home.

2. Repeat this process for a year and ensure that you frequently say how good the banana's are, etc. In general, be really supportive of her organic habits.

3. Make sure you have a comfy couch

4. Tell her

[troutman]

No, GMOs Won't Harm Your Health
Dr. Steven Novella argues that many of the fears surrounding genetically modified crops are unsupported.

http://www.motherjones.com/environme...en-novella-gmo

http://www.agbioworld.org/declaratio...n/petition.php

We, the undersigned members of the scientific community, believe that recombinant DNA techniques constitute powerful and safe means for the modification of organisms and can contribute substantially in enhancing quality of life by improving agriculture, health care, and the environment.

The responsible genetic modification of plants is neither new nor dangerous. Many characteristics, such as pest and disease resistance, have been routinely introduced into crop plants by traditional methods of sexual reproduction or cell culture procedures. The addition of new or different genes into an organism by recombinant DNA techniques does not inherently pose new or heightened risks relative to the modification of organisms by more traditional methods, and the relative safety of marketed products is further ensured by current regulations intended to safeguard the food supply. The novel genetic tools offer greater flexibility and precision in the modification of crop plants.

No food products, whether produced with recombinant DNA techniques or with more traditional methods, are totally without risk. The risks posed by foods are a function of the biological characteristics of those foods and the specific genes that have been used, not of the processes employed in their development. Our goal as scientists is to ensure that any new foods produced from recombinant DNA are as safe or safer than foods already being consumed.


http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-in...les/index.html

[troutman]

Apr 28 2014
Dueling Narratives on Organic Farming


http://theness.com/neurologicablog/i...ganic-farming/

There have been many studies and systematic reviews comparing organic and conventionally grown crops. They found essentially no difference in nutritional quality or health outcomes.

It is true that organic produce has fewer pesticide residues, but this is partly an artifact of measuring pesticides used by conventional farming. Organic farmers also use pesticides – they use “natural” pesticides that are presumed safe, without real evidence. There is also no evidence that the small residues on conventional produce have any negative health effects.

The fallacy here is the same as in some other areas, like alternative medicine – things that are “natural” are presumed safe and superior, and therefore don’t have to be studied. This is nothing more than the naturalistic fallacy. Organic pesticides that are studied have been found to be as toxic as synthetic pesticides, and in general are less effective and so have to be used more often, which can be worse for the environment.

My personal biggest problem with the organic label is the false dichotomy it creates. Organic has become a brand, a lifestyle, an attitude. It is a narrative, and the narrative comes first. In fact, one study found that people believed identical coffee tasted better if they were told it was ecofriendly, and were also willing to pay more for it.

Rather, it would be better to evaluate each farming practice on the evidence and the outcomes it produces, regardless of whether or not it fits a naturalistic narrative. Some practices considered “organic” are really just good sustainable practices, such as avoiding monoculture, crop rotation, and using cover crops. The evidence suggests these are good practices, whether or not they are part of achieving an “organic” label or not.

The organic marketing, however, has worked. They have successfully created fears in the public about “toxins” and unnatural mutants in their food, and offer the organic label as an assurance of wholesomeness, despite an utter lack of evidence to support such claims. The USDA was warned this would happen, they knew it would happen, and they facilitated this deception with their official seal of approval.

[redforever]

I wonder how many of the farmers who sell their produce at local farmer's markets have perhaps just gone to Home Depot, Walmart, and the like to buy their seeds?

There is no guarantee that those seeds are not GM.

You can of course buy seeds that are not GM but I wonder how many do?

That is not something that I worry about when I buy my seeds. I am more worried about the days the produce requires to mature. We have a very short growing season in Calgary and in the end, I like to grow stuff that I can actually eat. My garden itself though is 100% organic.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by AcGold

go to a normal grocery store and an organic store and look at the produce. Strong smell and strong color are associated with nutritious food while the GMO counterpart often has relatively no smell, color or taste. Think for yourself, have you ever yourself actually tested it and looked at the difference in food quality? You get the normal spinach and it's floppy, damp and light green while the organic kind is crisp, dark green with a strong taste of spinach. The nutritional difference between the two should be obvious, the quality of food correlates to its health benefits. Why do I need a study to back up what's common sense?

Oh that's right. I forgot about your approach to things, from the vaccination thread. Hey, BTW, how come you don't use your common sense to know that vaccinations are a good idea?


Ok back to the topic on hand. I have done some looking and reading, and guess what?

There is no objective scientific study to say that Organic food has more nutrional value.

If I am wrong, I would love to read that informationo AcGold.


Sadly, I suspect your response/approach to this discussion will be much the same as your response to the vaccination discussion.

[undercoverbrother]

http://www.activist.ca/events/1144

March Against Monsanto, Calgary

Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 1:00 PM—2:00 PM
Download to your calendar.
Calgary City Hall
Calgary, Alberta, CA
Presented by Grant Neufeld.
Details forthcoming...
A Calgary event in conjunction with the international call to action against Monsanto.
Please post on the wall here, or in the Calgary GMO Awareness group, ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/158617414334908/ ) if you want to participate in the planning for this action.
Links for this event

• Meetup event
• Meetup event
• Facebook event

[peter12]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

http://www.activist.ca/events/1144

Grant Neufeld is scum.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by peter12

Grant Neufeld is scum.

I see that his name pops up basically whenever there's a left wing protest/movement/cause in this city. So I would agree he's a serial activist, however you will have to justify why he's 'scum'?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

I see that his name pops up basically whenever there's a left wing protest/movement/cause in this city. So I would agree he's a serial activist, however you will have to justify why he's 'scum'?

Serial liar. Opportunist.

[19Yzerman19]

No, they are not equivalent, as there is at least some legitimate basis for suggesting that GMOs are, in some cases, bad news. At the very least, there is a legitimate basis for scrutiny, given the lobbying power of the entities producing these goods. In other words, while the reaction is often hyperbolic and silly, there is at least a bit of gray area where you could carry on a meaningful discussion about the virtues and drawbacks of GMO's.

There's really no such room in the case of climate change. There is consensus.

[Thor]

Oh another great summary of the organic movement

http://athlete.io/1891/the-sins-of-organic/

What’s The Point?
The point is that the health claims of the organic food industry are equivalent to the fertilizer used on organic farms: bull####, literally. Even arguments of sustained farming and environmental benefit don’t hold up. The real message that’s been lost in the onslaught of marketing and the hunt for higher profits is that you should buy your food locally—grown and raised as close to where you live as possible. Eating local protects the environment, while organic farming on the commercial scale that now exists doesn’t[21].
The organic food movement serves the interest of no one other than those producing supposedly organic food. Organic food still gets caked with pesticides—ones that the government has agreed to call organic[22-25], like rotenone, a known toxin that can causes Parkinson’s-like symptoms[26] and causes DNA damage in brain cells[27]. Even though the government banned it due to health concerns, we recently re-approved it for organic farming because of its power as a poison. Hell, if you’re going to poison the public, you might as well do it with a natural poison that you can use in as heavy of a dosage as you’d like because the government doesn’t monitor pesticide use for organic farms. (My thanks to Christie Wilcox and her article on ScientificAmerican.com for this tip-off.)

[peter12]

Pierre Desrocher's "The Locavore's Dilemma" is an excellent resource as well.

http://www.globavore.org/