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Change the WorldQuestion of the Day
05/08/2008
Are controversial advances like genetically modified food the answer to world hunger?
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Genetic food? Well, it may be one answer. How can you expect us non-experts-on-genetic-food to answer such a scientific and demographic question? I’m all for it on the face of it. People in Haiti are eating dirt sandwiches, so genetic food has to be an improvement, even if it ain’t perfect.
I have no idea whether genetically modified food is the answer to world hunger. Does anybody know? And does anyone know whether it is safe and effective, as we say in medicine? One answer I’m sure of about world hunger is that we have to stop pandering to farmers who are raising corn and grain for fuel and thus causing price rises throughout the world. Because we won’t face the idea of curbing our appetite for oil, we well may play a role in causing worldwide starvation.
Modified foods: a great question to explore here and I have absolutely no answers as I’ve done no research. But it is approaching critical mass and has to be dealt with as there are too many in dire need. If it’s safe and intelligently regulated, why not? Of course, I’m fairly squeamish about cloning meat (which I don’t eat) or chicken. But cloned tofu! There’s a plan.
Not if it tastes like some of those diet foods you can buy from the TV. Because I don’t understand enough about what it means, I don’t know if that is the answer. I would think that it will come with its own set of problems. Do we need to find different places to plant food? Is there a desert idea? Do we artificially inseminate fish and let them go so they can have many little fish? It’s a great question but no real answers. We’re seeing bigger, fatter cows, making gallons and gallons of milk … makes me nervous. How do they get that big? And what about the chickens? They have six legs. I love chicken and I know one with six legs more people can eat from but EEK! how did they get that way? Not sure, just not sure.
A friend in Paris showed me how to tell the difference between an old-fashioned and a genetically modified apple once. Cut the apple across its middle. If it’s an old-fashioned apple, the seeds will be arranged in a star pattern with five points. If it’s genetically modified, there will be ten points. Read the piece on Monsanto in Vanity Fair by clicking here.
A few years ago they did a study to try and understand why young girls and boys were hitting puberty years earlier than normal. Come to find out the hormones they were injection into livestock was being eaten by these youngsters and causing their systems to mature at an earlier rate. What will we find out that genetically modified food does to us in 10 or 15 years? And is it worth the risk? Wouldn’t it make more sense to try and figure out how to improve unfertile land?
Maggi, It was in the 70’s that milk cows in Mexico were given hormones to increase milk production and it was discoverd that young girls were entering puberity years ahead of what had been the case in the past. I don’t recall who made the connection.
PS, One of the big probllems going forward is that some genetically modified seeds do not reproduce and in third world countries they can’t save seeds for the next years planting when bad times hit. The world has already discovered that. Seeds can be very expensive.
Beverly, it is not only hormones in cows, chickens etc. A very large majority of the hormones are coming from we women. Many women use birth control pills and then later use hormone replacement. What is not used by the body is urinated out into the water system, and comes back to haunt us. They are finding substantial amounts of female hormones in the water system. There are also many everyday chemicals we use such as bleach (which is a component of many cleaning products) that have an effect on women’s hormones. But the biggest thing is stress.
The answer to world hunger is population control, birth control.
Ye, but you left out Condem Education.
The only condemnation I have of the education is “not enough!!” too expensive!!” ” my A D D” and a raft of others.
Johanna, this is what I’ve been saying for a long time. But, obviously, it’s not working as I see when people are on tv (a game show or such) and announce they have 7 or 12 or 15 children and the audience claps and I get nauseous. Anyway, back to GM food. Right now, there is lots of GM food in the markets but there is no law in place to let the public know what they are eating. Many people are already eating it and they don’t even know. One of the most heavily genetically modified foods is corn and it’s in almost every processed food in some form or another.
I want to know what I’m putting my my body. There is no way I will knowingly eat GM food which is why I try to stick to organically grown food which, by defintion, cannot be genetically modified.
Rachel—I’m with you on having so many children etc, and sticking with organics. I will hear people, usually people who don’t look fit and aren’t healthy saying it’s a waste of money. All a person needs to do is go into a Whole Foods Market, observe the people, observe what is in their carts…then go to a Lucky’s or whatever and do the same thing. No comparison. You are what you eat. I thought knew a lot on this topic but am learning new things and will be even more careful with what I eat….
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree! Is it the WOMEN who want 1/2 a dozen children whom they cannot FEED? No. Any shame on any religious/political institution which prevents attempts at birthcontrol. Remember Margaret Sanger first preached to the slum mothers of n=NY who wanted to be freed from the burdens of excessive childrearing. Now it’s the 3rd World’s turn.