Organic food versus GMOs. I think big farma is in on the organic food prices and put false narratives about the dangers of gmo foods.
They’re also not even the same category. Organic vs. non was about what kinds of chemicals amwere allowed to be added. Herbicides, pesticides, that kind of thing. GMOs are about whether a certain technology was used to genetically engineer the plants (artificial selection vs. the techniques of molecular biology). But they get all mixed up together as a result of marketing and a public that does not receive information any other way.
There are dangers with GMOs but they’re about farming sustainability and corporate power, particularly the use of IP law. The food itself, so far, is perfectly safe.
Also, organic food is not necessarily safer. You can still put fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides on organic crops, you’re just restricted to the use of certain kinds. You still need to wash organic produce to get rid of potential residue.
Aren’t bananas and corn both genetically modified, at least in the analog sense? Both wouldn’t exist without humans altering them.
If by “a lot” you mean “nearly all commonly grown crops in the last 200 years or more”, then yes. There are very few crops we haven’t altered in our quest to feed more people with less work, and even things such as heirloom produce are just varieties that breed true (and may have been around longer than the other varieties).
I have some concerns about GMOs, mostly because we aren’t very good at it yet. When we start producing things with the behavior of cucumbers producing cucurbitacin (not a desirable trait, but highly targeted), or if we’re adding benign genes that make something produce beta carotene, I’m all for it.
Yeah. Those were just two examples that came to mind. Tangelos or any “seedless” produce are some other ones.
I see GMOs as just another form of agricultural development to decrease issues/problems with production. (like splicing in a gene that makes them less appetizing to pests so you would use less pesticides or one that makes them more drought tolerant)
One of the largest drawbacks to GMOs though (aside from the capitalistic approach of introducing sterility) is due to allergies. This could however be easily mitigated by listing where each gene comes from so people who may be allergic to the gene of the donor would know if it should be avoided.
