And of course for a complicated and extremely commonplace issue like Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), as usual, the conversational tone was fact-based, science/result driven and stuck to the issue at hand. Rather - sarcasm works better in person than print - it was one near hysterical argument after another. To listen to the 2 most polarizing arguments – and there are only 2 sides (again sarcasm doesn't translate to the written word well) either the organics rules are about to be gutted, rendered meaningless or the dirty hippies are trying to make sure everyone starves in the near future.
What is at issue here as always is irrelevant, because the conversation is explosive. The discussion is always about Monsanto’s business practices; fatalistic theories about terminator genes, food allergens & butterfly genocide; corporation's ability to patent existing plants and life; and very little about what GMOs are and how they work.
GMOs are wide spread - Grocer’s Association estimates that 75% of all manufactured foods contain GMO materials. And lets just say that you make all your food from scratch, from raw ingredients that are certified organic (more on the importance of that in a moment). Still when you are out drinking your fair trade margaritas, those corn chips you dip into the heirloom salsa; 89% likelihood they GMO. The Ranch Doritos you, your spouse or child snuck at a party – double GMO – frying oil and corn. That just-add-water entrée you take out of your desk when you forgot to pack a lunch and need to eat, GMO. Yet, you are still alive.
Still want to rail against Frankenfoods? The Hawaiian Islands are the only place where papayas will grow in the US. Unfortunately, it is also home to an aphid that can spread papaya ringspot virus from tree to tree. It takes about a minute to infect a tree, so pesticides are useless. Worse the virus can’t really be detected until the fruit blossoms, then it is far too late for action. Between 1987-1992 a team of researchers used a type of genetic manipulation originally pioneered for soybeans, to a coat the papaya protein the ringspot attacked - preventing the virus from decimating the 50 million pound a year crop valued in the 10s of millions of USDs. By 2003 75% of Hawaiian papayas grown were genetically modified.
Here is another - In the early 1960s, a natural fruit was introduced to the US. Because it was the 60s and because the plant was natural, 1000s of years old as matter of fact, the Chinese gooseberry came with no allergy warnings. It turns out, people, especially those with existing intolerance to bananas, strawberries or latex, so someone who had never had been exposed to the fruit, could be severely allergic to the berries on their first bite. Better known as a kiwi, it is now a food along with natural peanuts that pediatricians caution parents to avoid feeding to their children in at least the first year of their lives.
Being for or against GMOs is a false argument – GMOs are ubiquitous, genetically modified is not a legal term and it is vague enough to include selective breeding techniques, cloning (like potatoes, not humans) and grafting. Organics Rules, which at the time of their adoption, were the most commented on set of rules the USDA ever took under advisement. The resulting standards clearly state GMOs cannot be called organic. By extension, livestock and their milk that are fed GMO alfalfa cannot be organic. Even if the GMO alfalfa wasn't planted or used by an organic farmer, instead their crop was contaminated by a different source.
Short of labeling all products as GMO ala EU standards, if consumers want one arena that is free of GMOs and they believe the organics standards are the safest haven, then make that argument. If Monsanto’s business practices are anti-competitive and brutal to growers who don’t use their seeds, address that issue specifically. Most of all, the issue of GMOs is complicated, nuanced and heavily scientific – read up, form an intelligent opinion not based on how you feel but what you understand.
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