Comments on: Book review: Food Fray — Everything you wanted to know about GM food http://greenlagirl.com/book-review-food-fray-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-gm-food/ Urban environmental lifestyle blog in Los Angeles Fri, 25 May 2012 17:16:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: M http://greenlagirl.com/book-review-food-fray-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-gm-food/comment-page-1/#comment-407173 M Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:54:33 +0000 http://greenlagirl.com/?p=6448#comment-407173 After all of the things I've learned about GE (including the types of things you discussed with pesticides), I have to admit I am still not too keen on the idea, but I tried to keep an open mind when reading <i>Tomorrow's Table</i>. It is written by Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak, a husband/wife team that also happen to be an organic farmer and a plant genetic scientist. They try to argue why GE is good or at least not the demon it has been turned into, in the book. They say that many problems haven't been proven to come about as a result of eating GE foods directly, it's more of the way that it is used that causes problems, including some of the issues you mentioned with Monsanto and pesticides. They see the idea of GE as having a potential to help more transfer to "organic" farming techniques that don't involve pesticides and other chemicals to deal with viruses and other pests. Supposedly most Papaya in the U.S. is genetically engineered to deal with a virus. I understood what they were arguing in the book, but maybe it is the emotional part of me that still isn't convinced. Then again, maybe it is the scientific part of my brain that doesn't feel convinced because they haven't shown me concrete evidence of non-issues. How on earth can people even determine for themselves if they are having issues if nothing is labeled? You can't connect the dots if you don't even know where the dots are. But if you are interested in reading more about this topic, it might be an interesting book to pick up. After all of the things I’ve learned about GE (including the types of things you discussed with pesticides), I have to admit I am still not too keen on the idea, but I tried to keep an open mind when reading Tomorrow’s Table. It is written by Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak, a husband/wife team that also happen to be an organic farmer and a plant genetic scientist. They try to argue why GE is good or at least not the demon it has been turned into, in the book. They say that many problems haven’t been proven to come about as a result of eating GE foods directly, it’s more of the way that it is used that causes problems, including some of the issues you mentioned with Monsanto and pesticides. They see the idea of GE as having a potential to help more transfer to “organic” farming techniques that don’t involve pesticides and other chemicals to deal with viruses and other pests. Supposedly most Papaya in the U.S. is genetically engineered to deal with a virus.

I understood what they were arguing in the book, but maybe it is the emotional part of me that still isn’t convinced. Then again, maybe it is the scientific part of my brain that doesn’t feel convinced because they haven’t shown me concrete evidence of non-issues. How on earth can people even determine for themselves if they are having issues if nothing is labeled? You can’t connect the dots if you don’t even know where the dots are.

But if you are interested in reading more about this topic, it might be an interesting book to pick up.

]]> By: Siel http://greenlagirl.com/book-review-food-fray-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-gm-food/comment-page-1/#comment-407071 Siel Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:11:58 +0000 http://greenlagirl.com/?p=6448#comment-407071 Yep -- With regard to the big food commodities like corn, Monsanto made Roundup pesticide first -- then developed GM crops that could resist that pesticide. That way, they could sell both! The GM crops were actually made when Monsanto discovered that OMG, some bacteria actually managed to survive in the polluted sludge created by Roundup. Splice in some of that bacteria with corn, etc., and voila -- Roundup-resistant GM corn. Yep — With regard to the big food commodities like corn, Monsanto made Roundup pesticide first — then developed GM crops that could resist that pesticide. That way, they could sell both!

The GM crops were actually made when Monsanto discovered that OMG, some bacteria actually managed to survive in the polluted sludge created by Roundup. Splice in some of that bacteria with corn, etc., and voila — Roundup-resistant GM corn.

]]> By: Summer http://greenlagirl.com/book-review-food-fray-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-gm-food/comment-page-1/#comment-407070 Summer Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:06:21 +0000 http://greenlagirl.com/?p=6448#comment-407070 Whoa, nice review. Didn't realize that GM was such big biz or that they were creating plants that were more resistant to harsh pesticides. Frightening. Whoa, nice review. Didn’t realize that GM was such big biz or that they were creating plants that were more resistant to harsh pesticides. Frightening.

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