My own words. Yes, today I will eat my words.
Writing about this subject has been a long time coming and in all honesty, it's still difficult for me to write :) In the past I have been 100% anti-GMO products. But i was slapped in the face by this guy called Ramez Naam
Ranez Naam is no ordinary guy. From his website - "He was born in Cairo, Egypt, and came to the US at the age of 3. He’s a computer scientist, futurist, and award-winning author. Ramez lectures on energy, environment, and innovation at Singularity University, where he serves as Adjunct Faculty. He’s spoken to audiences on four continents, from Illinois to Istanbul and from corporate boardrooms to Harvard University..." etc etc etc.
This guy is bright and judging from what I see, he's determined and meticulous too.
So, GMO...
Firstly today's diet contains some form of GMO. All of it. If it's in a packet, it contains GMOs, if it's in a bottle it contains GMOs too. So we have been consuming them for a very long time already and there's really very little we can do about it except eat fresh, organic locally grown vegetables and fruits. Rice, pasta, bread and other staples, unless labeled organic will contain GMO's.
Secondly the most reputable science bodies have, over the last 21 years found nothing that can cause any harm in these foods when consumed.American Assoication For The Advancement of science says
- The EU, for example, has invested more than€300 million in research on the biosafety of GMOs. Its recent report
states: “The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies.” The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and every other respected organization that has examined the evidence has come to the same conclusion: consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques.
It is a known fact that farmers have been modifying foods since the beginning of farming and that if we apples were the same as when they first emerged, they would be too bitter to eat. So modification has been good in that respect and now it's even better because some GMOs contain more vitamins than a "natural" fruit or veg would have.
Furthermore: The European Commission’s 2010 report on genetically engineered food (based on independent research not funded by any biotech company) said: “The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research, and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies.”
http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/AAAS_GM_statement.pdf It's good to know that Europe have very strict GMO laws, although these have been relaxed lately and there are talks of increasing more GMO crops into our food chain. But worry not, there have been hundreds of studies on the effects of modified foods done under strict methodology both commissioned by the government, producers and independent scientists over the last 25 years. All of them say the same thing, GMOs are safe, and I assure you, all of them can't be wrong.
One very valid question relates to super weeds, or weeds which are resistant to pesticides. Have GMOs encouraged stronger weeds? Does this mean we are going to have to use stronger pesticides or that GMO crops create a special weed that is "super"? The simple answer is no.
Weeds have changed over time and have become resistant to pesticides over the years but there is no difference in the development of these weeds to those in GMO crops. Crops don't create weeds, weeds are weeds, crops are crops. On vary rare occasions some crops and weeds cross pollinate but this has not resulted in pesticide resistant weeds.
In the EU all pesticides are biodegradable with the UV from the sun. If the farmer uses the pesticides properly and sprays according to the regulations, the sun would have removed all traces of pesticides by harvest time.
Labels: I think food should be labeled, we have to the right to know what we're eating.
Remember the photos warning that Indian farmers were killing themselves because of GMO painted seed? That seems to be untrue as well. According to this report http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.10319.1367338893!/image/farmer-suicides2.jpg_gen/derivatives/fullsize/farmer-suicides2.jpg farmer suicides have been reduced since the introduction of GMOs. This makes sense since genetically modified seeds are easier to grow and have more yield hence an happier farmer.
Of course every technology has it's problems but so does nature, disease like cancer and HIV is natural, a healthy balanced diet and observing your body's reaction to different foods is the way forward.
Would I prefer there to be no GMO crops? Idealistically yes. Realistically I don't really care because I new feel that they are safe. Realistically also I am glad for crops like the super banana which is going to give Africans back their sight and such like.
Our bodies are amazing, they detox all by themselves, regenerate and protect from illness. Trust your body.
This is a summery of this paper written by Ranez Naam, which contains valid links to reputable scientific reports (i checked). So don't worry, GMOs aren't going to kill us, or give us allergies or anything similar. The best we can do is eat as healthily as possible as mentioned earlier and hope that our health favors us.
Source: http://rameznaam.com/2013/04/28/the-evidence-on-gmo-safety/
Do go into the reports if you are still not convinced, I did check them myself and they are all legitimate, of course you will find work which disclaims these reports if but you'll have to firstly verify them and honestly...just stop worrying. You're gonna be fine.
Coincidentally this week I painted something I decided to call Petals and Pollen. Check it out :)
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