I was hanging around, bored, in the natural food section in my local supermarket when I noticed certain products seem to be labeled "Not a genetically-modified food" and such. So I thought, in a society that always been controlling and altering agricultural produce for years and years, is genetically modification such a bad thing? I know there people out there claiming this science will kill us off in dreadful ways or mutate mankind, but is there a real threat? (I assume it takes time to find or something.)

Today's technology is great. But should we be using our great science when it comes to mass-production of food? Well, I'm going to eat some modified, unnatural foods...

Question: What is so bad about genetically modified foods?

Answer: Nothing.

Question: Why are people worried about it then?

Answer: Because they are stupid. Remember, these are also the people who are scared of nuclear power.

^^ i agree.
remember, genes are just protien. and protein is good for you.

on the other hand, i think one of the concerns is that (and has happened) a gm food my get 'loose' in the environment and take over the natural species.
and i believe it's a real concern for the environment.

i would like to point out that mendelev genetically modified peas. he just did it by selective breeding. now we just cut out all the generations and splice the genes.
i heard somewhere that some scientist made a tomato that was resistant to disease by selectivly breeding. it was resistant to the exact same disease as a gm tomato. the tree huggers would eat one but not the other. :/

I can speak out of experience here, I work on an organic farm for my horticulture class, the people are crazy about what goes in the food and whatnot, everything thats not supernatural is evil. Crazy people:p

This is one of those Coke and Pepsi things. Remember New Coke? That's your GM food; then they bring back Coca-Cola Classic and everyone is happy as if non-GM foods are a new thing and you're willing to pay extra for this healthy alternative.

Look up what happened to Percy Schmeiser. The guy breeds canola seeds for fifty years until Monsanto crops from neighboring fields contaminate his life's work. Then he gets sued by Monsanto for patent infringement and now has to fight incredibly expensive court battles to avoid being fined thousands of dollars, let alone compensation for the destruction of his crop.

That's about it right there.

ictus, that's probably the worst part of gm foods.
monsanto can **** ***!!!

thats insane. It was a f***ing accident.

Actually, yes, I would like to make an addition to my earlier post:

Question: What is so bad about genetically modified foods?

Answer: Monsanto. Other than that, nothing.

I find it humorous when a group of teenagers and/or young adults on a star wars game editing forum think that they know better than many scientists that actually study this particular area. The fact of the matter is that many scientists, who happen to know more than all of us combined, regarding this particular subject, are indeed concerned about the possible negative effects of GE. A simple Google search will give you a plethura of material to read, if you're truly interested.

Personally, I try to eat as much organic food as I can afford, for a multitude of reasons. Many studies have concluded that organic crops have above average amounts of vitamins, minerals, and natural antioxidants. Believe it or not, many of us actually believe that organic foods taste better and make us feel healthier. Don't knock it before you try it. I don't want to turn this into an Organic vs GE debate, there's enough of those online already, so I'll stop right there.

There are really no decent long-term tests on the subject, and for any of you to jump to conclusions on either side, is ridiculous. I love how people here read 2-3 articles on a subject and think that they're experts. Try reading all of those Google results, instead of the ones that support your pre-conceived notions.

That's the whole point. Nobody has ever found any negative effects. I'm not saying that it's impossible that there are problems with genetically engineered foods, but it's also possible that there are major problems with so-called "organic" food.

Even food that is organically grown, even if it is grown withoug any pesticides, etc., it is still the product of thousands of years of artificial selection. Don't try to tell me that artificial selection is *not* genetic engineering, because it is.

While I admit that my previous posts may seem harsh to someone who disagrees with my viewpoint (they were intended mostly as a joke, and I apologize if you were offended by them); I find it offensive that you automatically assume that I couldn't possibly have done any research, simply because I am a "teenager and/or young adult on a star wars game editing forum". I am, in fact, interested in the ongoing debate of whether genetic engineering is good or not, and I try to keep up-to-date with most of the news on the subject.

Find me even *one* study that conclusively shows that GE food is bad for you, and I will change my opinion. Until then, there is no real reason to be scared of potentially helpful technology such as genetic engineering (I'm reminded of the invention of the electric motor in particular; at first it was labeled as "the work of the Devil", for whatever reason). It is my belief that, even if there are problems with GE, the possible benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

Oh, and this will all be irrelevant in 30 years anyways, once we finally get replicators.

I'll agree to with that. I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but I've studied it in some depth in many of my classes. Scientists have several concerns with genetically modified foods. The first being that no one knows what the long term effects of using them are. Some vegetables have been engineered to contain pesticides, which you then consume when you eat said vegetable.

The other big one is the threat of these genetically engineered species escaping to the wild and cross breeding the the wild an unmodified species. The results could very well screw up the agricultural and wildlife systems.

Guys, it's not just Monsanto. The only thing driving GM foods is a patent rush by biochemical corporations. GM foods aren't going to solve any problems for the same reasons pharmaceutical companies don't create cures. You don't make money by putting yourself out of business.

I think health concerns are valid, as well. When pesticides first came out, they were incredibly toxic and incredibly over- and misused. It took decades for us to realize that delousing people with straight DDT was a bad idea. Same thing with GM foods. Given how easy it would be to intentionally make a crop toxic using GE, it's not a stretch to imagine accidentally doing the same when you're trying to incorporate pesticides into vegetables.

Finally, whole wheat organic types aren't trying to ban GM foods. They're a) trying to preserve the legal definition of organic and b) trying to make labelling mandatory, so people can make their own decisions. What's objectionable?

My apologies for jumping the gun. I've been in so many of these debates that I sometimes, foolishly, assume that I know where someone is going, before they go there. Tis just one of my many quirks. :/

You're right though, there are no long-term studies, but my main concern is the preservation of organics. It saddens me to see a potential disaster brewing.

I don't want my corn to bounce.

That's a completely uneducated statement.

Yeah well...that's also a completely uneducated statement, so what the hey. :]

Ye-e-es....

One word: Prion.

And gene = nucleic acid.

genetically modified foods are dangerous, but eating them is completely safe. In fact, might as well eat them all before they take over the world.

I find it humorous that a teenager and/or young adult on a star wars game editing forum thinks he knows better than everyone else on that forum without knowing a damn thing about them.

Personally, I think organic and genetically engineered foods are both a waste of time, and will stick to my delicious pesticide covered fruits and veggies. If it's good enough for everyone in the past however many years before people started getting all concerned, it's good enough for me.

Um, organic agriculture was practiced for thousands of years, up until about fifty years ago. That's when all the nasty synthetic pesticides started to be developed. Using these pesticides should concern you, not only for the health and environmental impacts, but because using these pesticides excessively (which is usually the case) brings about pests that are naturally resistant to the pesticide. They breed and then you're screwed because you can't kill them. Unless, of course you develop a new pesticide that will kill them and who knows what else. Also starts the cycle all over again.

So for the past 50 years. Good enough.

I apologize if my point wasn't well stated or if it was just over your head. Here, I'll try again, by quoting a sentence from my initial post...



Once again, people were stating their opinions as if they had already chosen a side and wanted to actively argue that side as if it were a fact, when realistically, you can't do so at this time, for either side. The ONLY thing that I implied, was that either side pretending that they're right, this early in the game, is simply ignorant and even arrogant. Anyone who has studied the subject for more than 5 seconds would know that there are scientists on both sides of this issue.

I apologized once for my statement, and if you're going to take cheap shots after my apology, warn me ahead of time, so I can ignore your post. Good day.

The most common argument I've heard, often from places like France and Germany, is that even though crops can be modified to produce higher yields and grow in otherwise-inhospitable climates, because they might potentially cause health problems in a few people, it's better to let people continue to suffer from malnutrition and starvation.

Much like antibiotics.

Yes.

i just have to hear one news report about gm salmon escaping their holding pen and getting out into the environment to breed with natural salmon, and that makes me a bit worried about gm foods. and i heard one a couple of years ago and i know that's not good.

i would personally like to go all natural but for some reason we get charged a lot more for organic foods in the store.

An interesting article regarding the cost of organics versue the cost of "conventional foods".

I feel your pain. I've been trying to eat what I consider to be healthier as of late, and it has definitely put a large dent in my pocketbook. I'm a vegetarian, so I have it a bit easier (meats are very expensive), but it's still far from easy. The way I see it, if you believe that organics are better, even just a little bit is better than nothing at all.

The article is good. There's an added mark up, in the Bay Area, at least, because they are catering to the people who can affoard to pay more as well.

Sine, I'd be impressed if you find me one article advocating that position.

Scientists on both sides of the issue? THEN NO ONE CAN BE RIGHT!

You can research it for more than 5 seconds, then decide which seems more credible, and state your opinion. Making judgements without having a complete and conclusive judgement is not ignorant, unless you'd like to go into every religious discussion and tell them to all STFU until someone conclusively proves there is a God.

I oppose organic food because it is ridiculously expensive, like diet products.

Yes. There are propponents and opponents to GMOs.