Genetically Modified Food

What are GMs?
Since 2006, the US government has been talking about exporting genetically modified food to the African continent. The government even suggested exporting the know how to African scientists so they can go back to their countries and help out. Check out Chris’s post. But what are genetically modified foods (GM)? This is what ProQuest defines them to be.

Is it ethical to produce or consume them?
There are many ethical issues with GM research and consumption. Some of them include violation of natural organisms’ intrinsic values, tampering with nature by mixing genes among species, mixing animal and plant genes, stress for animals. Others are that it is not mandatory for people to label GM foods. GM products are mixed with non GM products in stores without labeling.
Watch and listen to this video from Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception.

What roles are the FDA and FTC playing in this?
There appear to be a lot of issues here that PETA could pick up. I wonder if they’ve done so or they are just going along with the FDA.
But, can we trust the FDA? The FDA’s recent press release suggested that very soon there will be genetically modified meat and fish on our kitchen tables. The FDA says it’s ok to eat GM food. The Bush administration has been backing efforts by farmers and scientists to make this happen. The FDA could be manipulating the system. There is no doubt about the fact that natural or organic food are better than any other food that went through any processes.

Kevin Trudeau, writer of the Natural Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About has a personal crusade against the FDA. Here is what he says about the FDA and regulating bodies in general.

From the retail outlets of supermarkets of huge publicly traded corporations comes processed, manipulated, engineered food products—produced by other wings of the same corporations. These artificially toxic treats are then sold with the blessing of the FTC and FDA—government institutions charged with safeguarding the public good laying the foundations for future diseases and chronic ill health for the consumer, and a guaranteed source of revenue for the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

Is there any good in GMs?
There are many advantages though with GM crops, animals and even the environment. Some benefits with crops are:
• Enhanced taste and quality
• Reduced maturation time
• Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
• Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
• New products and growing techniques
But do you prefer these advantages to the ethical and health issues that are raised above?

Are organic foods the way to go?
I grew up on natural foods grown either from my mother’s backyard or from farms not too far off. I prefer organic food but it’s difficult to live solely on an organic diet in the United States.
Like I mentioned in my COOL post, Americans are more concerned with what they can afford especially in these difficult economic times. One of the advantages with GM is that it will make food products cheaper. Most of us will be torn between our tight family budgets, health and ethics. The choice is yours.