How is this allowed?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Though Americans have already begun to eat genetically engineered potatoes, corn and soybeans, industry research confirms what my own informal surveys suggest: hardly any of us knows it. The reason is not hard to find. The biotech industry, with the concurrence of the Food and Drug Administration, has decided we don't need to know it, so biotech foods carry no identifying labels. In a dazzling feat of positioning, the industry has succeeded in depicting these plants simultaneously as the linchpins of a biological revolution -- part of a ''new agricultural paradigm'' that will make farming more sustainable, feed the world and improve health and nutrition -- and, oddly enough, as the same old stuff, at least so far as those of us at the eating end of the food chain should be concerned.

Playing God in the Garden - New York Times

[Angela]

Why are you allowing it?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Angela

Why are you allowing it?

Hmm, do you mean in the SR sense or in the sense that I could start a campaign against it or...?

[Aleksander Krstic]

Yeah, that's what I've been figuring out a lot-what does Steve exactly mean about that we should take responsibility for everything that's going on in our reality?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

Hmm, do you mean in the SR sense or in the sense that I could start a campaign against it or...?

Yes.

I mean in the sense that you are asking why others are allowing it, and you might get some insight as to both why that is and what difference you could make in the matter, if you were to ask yourself the same question. You don't have to answer me -- I'm just suggesting you put that question to yourself, and see what your own inner truth is.

So, why have you been allowing it? What are being about the situation Now? and what kind of future would you like to build for yourself in relation to this issue going forward?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

I see what you mean and I will ask myself. I guess my wording of the post title wasn't really necessary as what I really intended to do was raise awareness that this is happening and to hopefully come up with some ways to change it. Labeling would be my first and most important goal because people can't make value decisions if they do not have all the information.

I understand that the people who have created this new "product" are interested in making money, as they themselves have said they are not responsible for the safety of it, only that they want to make money.

And the farmers who use it seem to do so because it eliminates the need for several costly and dangerous pesticide treatments.

What boggles the mind is the lack of regulation and testing and the apparent casual acceptance of something that can have great effects on people and our environment.

I'll definitely ponder why I've been allowing it and see what I can do to reverse that.

[SomeRandomGuy]

What concerns me is that the general population seems to expect the government to protect them. People assume that because something is being sold in the supermarket it must be safe. I'd like to see people (myself included) take more responsible for what they consume and do the necessary research to evaluate products before deciding to purchase and consume them.

[lilybug]

Originally Posted by SomeRandomGuy

What concerns me is that the general population seems to expect the government to protect them. People assume that because something is being sold in the supermarket it must be safe. I'd like to see people (myself included) take more responsible for what they consume and do the necessary research to evaluate products before deciding to purchase and consume them.

I agree - we put so much faith into large organizations/governments to protect us as a society but what are we, both intellectually and socially, doing to protect ourselves? It's just as much our responsibility to play active roles in determining whats best for others and ourselves as it is the governments.

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

I understand that the people who have created this new "product" are interested in making money, as they themselves have said they are not responsible for the safety of it, only that they want to make money.

And the farmers who use it seem to do so because it eliminates the need for several costly and dangerous pesticide treatments.

First: I agree that everybody should be able to make their own choices and that it should be labeled if food is genetically manipulated.
Second: There should be more tests done before using these methods on a larger scale, i think.

BUT: So far, from what I have heard and seen from scientists who are working in this field, they don't do it for the money. They honestly want to make food that is better. That has more of the good stuff (enzymes, and what have you) and that doesn't need pesticides etc.

You can argue if it is a good thing or not, but not everybody involved in this is having money as a motive. Some people are actually trying to do good and to help stop world hunger.

Liefs Sandra

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by ssandra

BUT: So far, from what I have heard and seen from scientists who are working in this field, they don't do it for the money. They honestly want to make food that is better. That has more of the good stuff (enzymes, and what have you) and that doesn't need pesticides etc.

You can argue if it is a good thing or not, but not everybody involved in this is having money as a motive. Some people are actually trying to do good and to help stop world hunger.

I don't doubt that the motives of many biotechnoligists are pure. I was referring mostly to corporations like Monsanto and this quote from the linked article:

''Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food,'' he said. ''Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the F.D.A.'s job.''

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by SomeRandomGuy

What concerns me is that the general population seems to expect the government to protect them. People assume that because something is being sold in the supermarket it must be safe. I'd like to see people (myself included) take more responsible for what they consume and do the necessary research to evaluate products before deciding to purchase and consume them.

I do agree that consumers should do their due dilligence when it comes to what they purchase to ingest. I will certainly be more aware of it myself. However, I do believe that there should be some fundamental rules in place that make it a requirement to reveal things like this. The reason I believe this is that we have seen that a corporation like Monsanto has money as a driving factor and may be unlikely to make the information readily available. In some cases information may be intentionally obscured if it would serve the bottom line.

[Honeywith4bees]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

I don't doubt that the motives of many biotechnoligists are pure. I was referring mostly to corporations like Monsanto and this quote from the linked article:

This is the exact quote from Monsanto that got me off my duff eight years ago and out in the parking lots of my local grocery stores. I called a local group called "Clean Water Action" and together with them and Green Peace, I helped to organize a big local campaign. I single handedly leafleted hundreds of houses and cars, held three demonstrations (for awhile there were pictures on the Green Peace site of my son who was 2 at the time holding a sign that said "I'm not a Guinea Pig!) and wrote all kinds of letters to the editors.

All in all, I found that most people just want to be happy.

They don't want to hear scary stories about their food and they really, really want to feel protected by their government.

I stopped trying to point out to others what I thought they should know and just started trying to do what I thought was right.

Another hard thing is that a lot of people simply can't afford to buy organics. I know that I'm getting shut out of that market real fast these days!

[Chris Cade]

"How you spend your money is how you vote on what exists in the world." - Vicki Robin

I vote by eating organic, non-GMO whenever possible.

[lifetimelearner]

Originally Posted by Chris Cade

"How you spend your money is how you vote on what exists in the world." - Vicki Robin

I vote by eating organic, non-GMO whenever possible.

I like the quote

although I am on a restricted budget I still buy organic

if we have to do without other things
then oh well

[Amandaaa]

Hmmmmm.


I don't know very much about genetically engineered food...
Maybe I should do a little research.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by lifetimelearner

although I am on a restricted budget I still buy organic

What I'd like to see more of is shared local gardens. The cheapest way to get organic food is to grow your own.

[EDIT] Is the OP aware that the article linked to is over 10 years old?

[lifetimelearner]

Originally Posted by Keith

What I'd like to see more of is shared local gardens.

love that idea -right now I am in an apt but I am thinking of doing some container gardening

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Keith

[EDIT] Is the OP aware that the article linked to is over 10 years old?

I certainly wasn't! Apologies to all as I found it on reddit and did not check the date. I will have to look into what the current state of this issue is. I wonder if any regulatory laws have been passed in the last 10 years?

Thanks, Keith!

Again, sorry to all for the misleading idea that this was current information.

[schola]

It's only gotten worse since this article was written, unfortunately.

Another reason to grow you own vegetable garden.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by schola

It's only gotten worse since this article was written, unfortunately.

Another reason to grow you own vegetable garden.

That's what I figured .

A nice little garden of my own is looking better every day. This weekend I'd like to spend some time seeing what I can plant soon and how to go about it.