Jennifer Garner and Gisele Bundchen attended an event last night to support the Just Label It project, which is advocating for federal mandates of food labeling for genetically modified consumer products. Both discussed the importance of transparency in the food industry, something that is sorely lacking when it comes to genetically modified food. Garner said that she’s able to buy non-GMO foods (she probably shops at Whole Paycheck Foods) but that the rest of the country doesn’t have that luxury. She also talked about growing her own food and helping her children understand the origins of their food. You can see a brief video interview with Garner on E! Online.
Garner on why she got involved with the cause
My friend Gisele and I are fed up with being kept in the dark about GMO and non-GMO labeling,” Garner said. “I got involved because she said, ‘Do you know what’s happening?’ She’s a firecracker. She said, ‘You have to educate yourself.It’s easy for me to shop at places where foods are labeled. Only 3% of the food we produce is non-GMO. But if that 3% is available to you, you kind of take that for granted, but the rest of the country is being fed food – certainly all of the animals that are being turned into our meat, they’re all being fed food that’s been genetically modified.
How Garner educates her children about food
I cook for my kids, and we have a garden. We try to grow whatever we can, although I can’t say we have the hugest crop in the world, but I do try to pay close attention and I do my best.But we talk about our food, we grow food, we talk about what goes into it and how hard it is. They planted it, they water it, they take pictures next to it. I’m a geek.
On what Garner cooks for her kids
I make everything. Roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade bread, corn on the cob, you know, whatever.Gisele on GMO labeling
This is a very important cause to me as an individual, as a parent and as a mother. I am here tonight because I believe we have the right to know what’s in our food.Food sustains our bodies, minds and souls, and as a mother, I feel it is my responsibility to know what I am feeding my family. We need transparency in our food industry.
[From US Magazine and E! Online]
I’ve heard reports claiming the GMO foods are no riskier and that people are overreacting to the potential threat. However in the EU GMO foods are very strictly regulated to the point where most GMO crops are banned. The way I understand it, it’s not about the risk to human health so much as the potential agricultural issues that come up with GMO crops, such as cross contamination. Plus, we simply don’t know the long term effects of GMO foods on human health. At the very least we can have labeling for foods to help inform consumers. I eat non-organic vegetables from the grocery store, (organic veggies don’t last as long, are more expensive, and aren’t more nutritionally valuable) but I do think this is a worthy cause. It’s not necessarily going to get me to buy non-GMO food, but I think consumers should be informed about it.
Good for Garner for growing her own vegetables with her family and teaching her children where their food comes from. I’m not that ambitious and am not a gardener, but I appreciate it when people grow their own food. It’s a cause that Michelle Obama has helped champion, too. Children should also know what an environmental burden it is to raise animals for meat. I feel like I should mention that on Earth Day. If we can reduce our meat consumption and substitute local meat where possible we can reduce our impact on the environment.
Jennifer Garner & @giseleofficial are partnering up to fight against GMOs – read their quotes: http://t.co/hCgTybdLAL pic.twitter.com/KjbxdyQoL1
— JustJared.com (@JustJared) April 22, 2015
photo credit: FameFlynet and Instagram
There should be country of origin labeling too, even if only small components are from another country.
On a completely shallow level, that top dress is sad.
You guys should have much better food labeling overall. I was talking elsewhere about this and there are all sorts of issues with country of origin (important if you’re an ethical shopper who wants to avoid abusive regimes, for example) and nutrition (hidden sugars, GMO, etc).
I will give the EU props here: they mandate good labeling and it gives consumers better choices, even if they don’t take up the choices.
We grow about two thirds of all the vegetables and fruit we eat. I really enjoy eating with the seasons and it is good for the kids to have this sort of thing built into their chores because it’s positive and productive as well as dutiful. And it means you eat less rubbish, purely because you don’t want to waste the food you’ve grown. But you’ve got to be into it because it is a time-eater.
Yeah, tis true. We had urban gardens as kids. Nothing from the supermarket compares to anything you pick and eat at once.
I have my garden (yard) and what we call an allotment, which is land owned by local government that is let out for a token rent to people who want to grow food.
Information on the label (Germany):
Country of origin
Organic / non-organic
Genetically modified / not modified
Quantity net weight / gross weight
ingredients in order of the quantity in the food, also preservative agents and emulsifying agents etc.
Germans don’t like genetically modified food — I have never seen any in a supermarket. Allegedly most crops are tainted with genetically modified genetics anyway but I am glad that there is a lot of resistance to that over here.
She grows her own food but she goes to Starbucks every day??
Her fake lips are without OMG also?
Whatevever great cause
It’s tough to grow your own coffee beans here.
I think the lips are real.
Lips are real, but she might use venom on occasion.
Her lips are definitely not real…or not original, I should say.
If you google pictures “Jennifer Garner lips young” you will find the pics. She had had normal thin lips which turned into a thin line when she smiled.
Yep, she was always pretty and seems quite sensible and capable but those labial cushions aren’t all hers.
I have googled her lips from another thread. Her lips look entirely natural. If there was any puff it didn’t last from the event 1 night to the morning starbucks run. That screams venom. Outside of that there are numerous shots where she was known to be pregnant and in early stages giving that hormonal pregnant pout.
Toss in age and weight gain as well. Sometimes as women we have traits that do not fade after the baby. A mommy tummy and that extra lip fluff are some traits. And I see pregnant ladies almost daily for work!
So, this is 1 conspiracy theory I can’t get behind. Just a lot of assumption and fudging the logic.
@ Florc
Google precisely this: “Jennifer Garner lips young”.
I thought this was all b.s. these hollywood people talking about bad stuff in food when most of them smoke and all of them botox. I love it when Hollywood people take their private jets to talk environmental issues. Grow her own food. Ya she pays a gardener to grow some tomatoes or something..
I used to get produce from a co-op of organic farmers. They said that animals that ate gmos got sick far more frequently and were not as healthy.
I think it should be looked into. On one hand, it’s great science can help develop food that is easier to grow in challenging parts of the world, but if it ultimately leads to disease it’s not the solution we think it is. I think doing research before it fully infiltrated our food supply would’ve been a good idea.
It’s an interesting topic and one that’s filled with a lot of pseudo-science and misinformation from both sides. On one hand you have someone like the Food Babe who takes the organic movement to an uneducated extreme, but on the other you have scientists who insist that all GMOs are JUST FINE and that we’re morons for questioning. Realistically, genetic modification has allowed us to have more crops and feed more people, and yet Americans have more food allergies and sensitivities than in other countries where GMOs are far less prevalent. Not to mention the food dyes and the HFCS…
I try to buy organic for fruits and veggies that I’ll eat the skins, but I actually place more importance on buying locally vs. buying organic. We have an amazing fruit stand right by us that’s open March 1-Oct 31, and not only is the fruit less expensive but its better quality than the grocery store.
+1000 on everything you said Bridget
Food Babe is so absurd! She makes me grrrr. 😉
GMO does not cause food allergies. It’s antibiotics, hormones, fertilizers, conservants, and other stuff that is used for food preparation that causes allergies. And all agricultural products and livestock are results of genetic selection and breeding and therefore, are genetically modified.
There is quite a lot of research already done.
Is there really, though? Right now, because it isn’t tracked and labeled as it should be, it can be hard to isolate the cause-and-effect of potential diseases or health problems related to GMOs. GMO grains are being found in non-GMO fields for reasons that scientists can’t understand.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/26/351785294/gmo-wheat-investigation-closed-but-another-one-opens
I agree with Tiffany:) there. I’m by no means an expert, but all the research I’ve seen has focused on genetic and nutritional differences between GMO and non-GMO crops, but I’ve seen very little long term research when it comes to GMO diets and disease and allergy. Plus, discussing this only in terms of the seeds themselves ignores other factors, like the effects of increased pesticides used in these crops as well as soil fatigue.
Happy earth day! *hugs trees* *in a serious way* *because I really do love trees*
That’s all I came to say.
Ditto. ADORE trees as well!!!
I agree with the cause. I also agree that the jury is still out on what the real impact of GMOs will be on health. Some GMOs have been done for worthy reasons – the ability to get more yield from an acre of farmland, for example. Or the ability to grow food outside of its normal environment. That being said, things like those grotesque monster fish are just a no for me. I focus more on eating local than organic as I believe the preservatives are far worse than any genetic modification. However, that’s just my opinion. Label it and let everyone form their opinions and live by their own guidelines. Simple!
I am not convinced about the long term effects of GMO’s (good or bad) but I think that as a money paying adult, I deserve to know if the food I am buying is GMO or not. Then I can decide for myself. If it’s not such a big deal, why are companies failing to disclose the information (and fighting for the legal right to hide this information)?
Having a garden was a mainstay when I was growing up. Now only a few gardens exist where I live. I have raised beds plus containers that I can move around for my heirloom tomatoes and peppers.
I like to grow the non-GMO seeds and plants, but they usually do not yield the same as GMO versions.
I have a greater appreciation for my grandparents and previous generations who were very dependent on growing their own food and meats.
We do raised beds and containers, too! More potato buckets than flowers in my garden!
I’m not against GMO per se, for the crop yield reasons you mention. But I do think that it should be a feed the world shared endeavour, and there shouldn’t be any patents on these seeds so that poor farmers in developing countries are all in hock to Monsanto et al.
Yes, with the additional problems that they could obliterate heirlooms too, if planted in proximity. I’ve NEVER had a hybrid tomato that tasted anywhere near as good as a freshly picked heirloom.
I can’t even eat supermarket tomatoes now. Horrid hard skin and no taste. The Sixlets eat heirloom cherry tomatoes as though they were candy. I put them, and heirloom strawberry plants, into hanging baskets instead of flowers.
Hybrids are not GMOs. They have been created by plant breeding and crossing strains like you’d crossbreed dogs or horses. Whether they’re better or not is up for debate but they are created by natural plant breeding, which is indecently how the heirloom varieties were developed back in the day. Hybrids are merely crossbreeds.
GMOs have had foreign DNA inserted into their genome (usually from a bacteria) to produce a compound (like Bt in Bt corn) or resist a certain herbicide (Roundup Ready plants can survive glyphosate application).
Thanks Wren. Better hybrids back in the day then.
organic heirlooms = amazing.
If you have the space and time grow your own food. And a tip. Careful with those cherry tomatoes! Once you plant them they will never go away. We have a forest every year that was unintentional. Same with pumpkins.
In my hands, it’s the courgettes (zucchini) that turn into triffids. I end up with a mountain of them every year.
I wish I could cover up my stupid lawn with raised beds but unfortunately I rent so the landlord would pooh-pooh that. But I’ve got all kinds of pots and containers with veggies and herbs in them.
Having a garden was the only reason my dad’s family didn’t starve when he was a child in Holland during a famine around the time of the Great Depression. They didn’t eat like kings but at least they ate. He’s religiously kept a garden ever since.
The problem with GMOs is that to see increased yields you need to apply all the stuff that goes with them. And that costs boatloads of money and pretty much destroys the soil. You can’t save GMO seed, you must buy it every year, along with the fertilizers and other applications that go with them and so on and so forth. Each year the soil degrades further. They’re not actually better, we really have been lied to about that in the name of the bottom line. There really aren’t too many GMO garden seeds, (hybrids are not GMO), the problem is industrial scale ag.
I read that insects have become immune to some of the elements.
Plenty of weeds are becoming resistant to Roundup too.
I read that there are links to Parkinson’s disease and that Roundup shit is so ubiquitous.
My dad had P’s and more than one doctor asked him about whether he’d lived on a farm and/or drank well water. He had done both for 18 years. However, he also pointed out that none of his several (all older) siblings developed it. He used roundup for years on his three acre yard.
My mom thinks they may have been harmed through youthful exposure to ddt, which was apparently commonly used to combat flies and other pests in the home. She said it was common to spray it around food, because no one knew it was harmful to humans at the time.
I was ambivalent about GMOs until I watched the documentary “Bought.” What it had to say about how GMOs are developed and what they do to living creatures and the earth was horrifying 🙁
I just googled that movie. The title. Bought: The truth about Vaccines, big Pharma, and your food.
Sorry. That’s already way too suspicious and ridiculous. They’re anti vaccine. I would be suspicious of it.
I’m a scientist working in the global health field, and I heard an interesting comment from a colleague that GMOs are the new vaccinations in terms of misinformation and rhetoric about what research has or hasn’t been done. I don’t disagree, actually.
You always have to be careful when watching documentaries. Remember, you’re watching someone’s opinion, however carefully backed up with facts the film may be. Better to do more research on your own to fully round out your own opinion.
i read a medical report released to health care professionals the other day that scared me.
the majority of our immune system lives in the gut, as we know.
so what we eat absolutely has a direct effect on our overall health and lifespan.
this particular report had to do with antibiotics fed to animals and how the presence of those antibiotics in our guts causes our immune system to short circuit, contributing to many autoimmune diseases like lupus and also causes many cancers.
organic plant based diets once again are supported.
dairy and meat are toxic.
i’ve been teetering on the edge of vegetarianism for years.
eating animals bothers me.
don’t hate on me…i’m from a family who enjoys food from all sources.
you know, the traditional italian feasts.
but learning more about health, lifespan, disease as i age…
i’m all for never eating animals and hopefully living a longer, healthier life since my personal belief that it’s cruel coincides with medical proof that it’s unhealthy anyway.
i owe it to my kids…and hope to instill this in them, though i doubt they’d ever stop eating burgers 😉
i keep trying though.
Just roll up your sleeves and get started serving yummy plant-based food. I’ve been on this kick for about two years and my three kids are less and less enamoured with the other stuff when they encounter it outside my little food bubble. I’m worried about the overload of dairy and and eggs and meat on developing girls and later breast cancer.
good for you!
true…dairy is pretty bad.
dr. andrew weil has been professing this for years.
he supports one small serving – an ounce i think – of high quality cheese if one must – preferably parmigiano reggiano.
must be something about that particular cheese..it’s made in italy, so i wonder why that cheese and no other.
i’m tired of getting the eye rolls when i talk with friends and family about this stuff.
it’s so important!
In Oregon we had a ballot about GMO labels. It barely failed, but I did vote for it. I think as consumers we have the right to know what we eat and put in our bodies.
I don’t hate her point or premise, but I do wish that celebrities would tone it down when it comes to giving advice to people who are not like them.
Growing your own food is great – I recently started – but I can’t begin to express how hard it is. It’s hard on your back, your hands, everything. If she’s really doing that herself, kudos. But I feel like that wouldn’t be so easy for a ton of working people. I’d be far more inclined to take the advice of people who can’t afford to get help if they need it.
I agree with her. I believe we do need reform. I lived in Europe for over half a decade. In my experience, on a purely superficial level, despite the food being completely amazing, I lost a ton of weight. As soon as I moved back to the U.S., I started gaining. A lot. And I struggled to lose it. REALLY struggled. Power walking 5-6-7-8 miles a day wasn’t changing anything. All of my blood tests came out normal.I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t lose. And I couldn’t figure out why I felt so awful all the time. Fortunately enough, I was able to test out the weight gain theory when we moved out of the U.S. again – sure enough, once again, I started losing weight. I ended up losing most of what I’d put on over the years. The only difference was the location – not in the eating style. I was still eating the same calories, but it was in the food I was buying off the grocery store shelves. There’s a very real difference in our food and the rest of the world’s, and it’s obvious. Once you’ve gone away from it and come back to it, you can taste it. Our packaged food has a very fake, processed taste. People talk a lot about the obesity epidemic in the U.S. I truly believe it starts with the chemicals and the hormones and the crap they put in our food. I’m not saying everyone’s experience is going to be the same as mine, but it’s clear to me that MY body reacts to these chemicals and hormones this way.
YES!!!
thank you for this.
i didn’t make this vital point in my post upthread.
the report i read about the antibiotics in the meats we eat…
ARE LINKED TO OBESITY!
imagine?
no increase in calories as you say…
the mere presence of the antibiotics and the way our immune systems process their presence cause us to get FAT.
i’ve had the exact experience living in europe for short periods.
i eat and eat and eat…and lose weight!
i’m not talking about binging or eating more.
but healthy portions much like i eat in the states, and my body reacts differently.
i admit that i don’t know if animals in europe are injected with the same hormones as in the U.S. or eat the same foods, but i do know that as a kid i knew that meats in italy had no antibiotics…
lots to ponder here…is that why americans have a larger issue with weight/obesity than those in europe?
I had the same experience when I lived in Europe for a few months. Plus it helped that I walked everywhere, every day. I think it’s probably a combination of many being car dependent and the food.
I experienced this too. It actually made me feel a bit sick to come back to US and eat packaged foods.
Same with water from Iceland. The tap water in Iceland is the most delicious pure water in the world. I tried tap water in Atlanta again after returning and it was so horrible.
YES! +100000 to this comment!
+1000001! Well said!
I couldn’t understand for the life of me why when I would go home (Brazil) to visit my family I would lose weight (not exercising). When back in US, I put on weight easily even when I was running 6 miles daily. I finally realized it must be the food. I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto and I really need to watch out what I eat now.
I am living in China now and teaching english. All the ESL teachers lost weight when they got here. Yes, there is a lot of walking and no one believes in elevators but it does follow the trend you are talking about. And I tend to buy most of my fruit and produce in the small local markets.
Hi Sarah! Our last overseas move was to Asia. One of the things I kept hearing before the move was how much weight you lose in moving there. It was so, so, so true – and it wasn’t for disliking the local food, either. I could eat fried street food like you wouldn’t believe.
How do you like China? I think the peach blossoms are blooming now? We visited a few of the bigger cities this time a year ago and loved the rich history. Sad to see a lot of ancestral homes being demolished in favor of high rise apartment buildings, but I guess they’re doing that pretty much everywhere. 🙁
I can’t tell you how much I miss Asia and the friends and connections I made there. I *STILL* bow to people on introduction!
I have had the opposite experience, I have gained weight on all my European trips, eating too much food. I don’t think the food here is worse, we have different food but it’s good and healthy, and I eat better when I’m at home. I make healthier choices and eat smaller portions, so I can’t say I agree with you at all.
Hi Bob! Are we talking vacations? Or did you actually live there and shop and prepare food from the local grocery stores? The latter is what we are discussing. I gain on vacations, too. 🙂
Oh I wish I could have a garden. Damn deer don’t leave my deer resistant plants alone, so veggie garden would never survive! I’d basically be feeding the small patch of woodland critters in my neighborhood 🙁
Me too, all I do is feed the squirrels. Plus my yard is shady, which is great for the summer but not so much for veggie gardens. I do have strawberries that have spread through one section of my garden, but the squirrels wait until the berry is almost ripe enough for me to pick, and then they take it. Jerks.
I live on a deer path and they took out my garden two years ago. I bought bird netting and now wrap it around the whole garden and they did not eat a thing last year.
Heather H : congrats that your stealth gardening techniques have beaten back your evil produce stealing enemy! 🙂
I have an easement behind my property (a small wild space owned by the city and fenced off) and the squirrels, raccoons and whatnot treat my yard as their buffet table. One year they ate every tomato I had. I’m trying again this year, wish me luck.
My dad stakes one yellow tape around his garden to keep the deer out. About a foot off the ground. It seems to work.
So this is bizarre. I’m not as well informed on this topic I guess because it never bothered me in the least. I’m surrounded by scientists so this kind of thinking on GMOS is very strange to me. Most scientists see no dangers in GMOS. You talk about Europe, but last I remember is that most european scientists etc see no problem with GMOs either. Sure there’s a minority, but that’s science. You’ll never be able to prove something. You can only have overwhelming evidence to support your claim. Thus far there’s very little evidence that GMOs have any adverse side effects or are unhealthy.
In Europe the labeling of GMOs came before any sort of consensus on the risk of GMOs and since it was such a buzzword people stopped buying and there’s no longer a viable market for GMOs in Europe. Labeling which foods are GMO could have the same unintended consequence.
It just sounds silly. I don’t doubt that people should be more aware of what they eat and the ethics of the company they purchase from. People should grow their own food so they can do things more cheaply. We should consume less meat and be more mindful of our choices. We should conserve water, etc. We definitely need better education on nutrition, but the whole GMO vs non GMO just seems like fear mongering and ignoring science. Like dang I did not realize people got so passionate over not having GMOs anywhere near them.
I don’t think it’s silly at all to want to eat food that hasn’t been deemed safe. I am glad Jennifer and Gisele are bringing attention to this because I think most people don’t bother thinking about it. Yes, some scientists (often funded by Monsanto) take the stance that there is no harm in GMOs, but there are others saying quite the opposite. I guess I don’t put much faith in scientists or the FDA telling us food is safe, after all they approved aspartame and sucralose and continue to allow carcinogenic food colorings, etc. It is fantastic that crops provide a higher yield, but at what cost to our health? When you consider how strong a stake Monsanto has in GMOs and look at their track record, it makes you question. They certainly haven’t cared about hurting people or the environment in the past, but let’s trust them with our food supply. The bottom line is not crop yield, but cash yield. As someone with Hashimoto’s, Celiac and Leaky Gut Syndrome, what I put in my body matters (as it does to everybody).
Also, I had the same experience as Just Me and Bella while in Europe. I was so much healthier and lost a bunch of weight and felt wonderful with no calorie or exercise changes. A good book is Altered Genes, Twisted Truth by Steven Druker.
So you’ll take a book authored by a lawyer as truth instead of the research by actual scientists (I’m not referring to Monsanto scientists either)? Note that I mentioned the minority because guess what they are a minority. I absolutely don’t doubt that opponents exist because after all it is science. What would it be without skeptics?
It is silly and ridiculous to deem food where research has shown it to be negligently harmful to humans. Yes, you are silly if you’re going to ignore what many scientists say. Anecdotal evidence such as yours is no replacement for actual science. Does it diminish how you felt about European food versus American food? No. Feel however you want, eat however you want and do so with a critical eye. But don’t do this ridiculous bent where you try to completely discredit a new technology that has great benefits for the world. You guys want labels, that’s fine, but realize that GMOs are not the devil. They are a technology that could benefit the world and shouldn’t be so easily dismissed or vilified. Especially if we can improve them to benefit us. We should look at them closely just as with any new technology, but not to the point where we try to make them disappear because that can be a huge unintended consequence of this.
I’m totally fine with criticism, skepticism, but not outright dismissal based on some nebulous fear that you can’t even substantiate with scientific evidence. It just sounds ridiculous.
@Korra…Yes, it is a good book that points out how GMOs were allowed without testing to see if modified foods are appropriate for human consumption. Does that author have a slant? Sure, as do the scientists on the other side. I don’t think there is anything ridiculous about questioning. As I said, I have health issues. I didn’t come into this with any particular opinion, I just wanted to get well. After reading a lot from both sides of the fence, my personal opinion is that we do not know enough to claim that these foods are safe. This isn’t coming from some “nebulous fear”, or ignoring “science”, it is my own thinking based on balanced reading and I think it is always appropriate to ask who is funding any scientific study. Your own post says research on GMOs shows them to be “negligently harmful”. Why is any level of harmful ok? You also started your first post saying you aren’t that knowlegable on the subject because it never mattered to you all that much. So I am not sure why a differing opinion bothers you by someone who has spent a lot of time and thought on this subject (doesn’t make me an expert) for personal reasons. I agree with you wholeheartedly that it is important that we be able to feed the planet, but we need to do it safely and in good conscience. I think even the world’s underprivileged are worthy of safe food.
I didn’t “substantiate my claims with scientific evidence” because this is just my opinion on a celebrity gossip site. I could throw out more book titles and journal articles, then you would come back with the same with opposing views, so what’s the point.
This is anecdotal, but my husband and father are both physicians and my mom is a food scientist and we are all of the same opinion. Luckily we can all think what we want.
I respect your right to your own opinion and think that’s great, but I won’t be calling you ridiculous because of it.
Except your whole post began with a (Monsanto funded) scientists critique. I’ve read a number of studies as well from both sides of the debate, the only reason I call myself uninformed is because I don’t feel I’ve read enough. I’m definitely unconvinced of the anti-GMO side. I’ll definitely try to gain much more knowledge on it.
I can see issues people have with big business being so heavily invested and in control of our food supply, but that is rarely why people are against GMOs. There is YES an unfounded belief that they are harmful. And the reason I say negligently is because that’s a scientific term for basically saying they aren’t at all. That’s scientists for you. They don’t prove anything, they only have overwhelming evidence towards a claim.
I don’t doubt bias can be a major factor in why certain scientists side with an issue. I don’t doubt that at all. But when a number of studies have been done to show that GMOs aren’t inherently more harmful than non GM plants under places that I consider have quite a bit of integrity as scientists and institutions, then yes it’s fishy to have public opinion so against. There’s no doubt we should be critical, but people lose all reason and base things off emotion.
In reality I’m not calling you ridiculous. What I’m calling ridiculous is the fear mongering. I don’t like scientific opinion being completely dismissed because it doesn’t fit for some people. It doesn’t help at all that I’m seeing a trend of anti-GMOers being also anti-vaxxers.
Hi, Korra. Yeah, I did start my post being very anti-Monsanto. Have you read up on them? Almost every time I see any pro GMO study, they are citing a Monsanto fellow or Monstanto blah blah . I makes me wonder because they have not been ethical in the past and have gotten away with way too much.
I didn’t think I was dismissing scientific opinion…as I said, I have read both sides. And it isn’t fear mongering, just another side of the science. There are actually many studies that showed that animals given genetically modified foods had more heart, liver and kidney issues and that these studies were dismissed to get GMOs pushed out.
I was able to go see Dr. Jane Goodall last Friday and she was fascinating. I wish everyone could have heard her. It may not have changed your opinion, but maybe would give some perspective as to why the other side feels the way we do. She is so amazing (and yes, I am listening to the opinion of someone who is known for her work with chimpanzees..so what, she’s brilliant and made a lot of sense). I got her book but haven’t read it yet.
Anyway, I assure you all my four kids are vaccinated (big believer in herd immunity) and I am not a hysterical jump on the bandwagon type, but as someone who used to be so fatigued that I was literally falling asleep at 1:00 every day, I have had to turn everything around with diet and I guess I do have strong feelings about chemicals, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones and pesticides in our food supply. Luckily I feel great now. Actually, if you have any info on why you think GMOs are safe, send me a link or a book title. It may not convince me but I am open to another opinion…maybe.
So glad someone has given a sensible, well rounded, science based opinion!
Korra, your response was refreshing to hear!!
As a european plant scientist, I have never read a scientific paper of any substance that reported any dangers of GMOs. European laws are directly contrary to plans to increase food security and, like you said, are predominantly based on fears and politicians being reluctant to upset the public in any way.
Plant breeding shuffles hundreds of thousands of genes each time you make a cross…GM procedures introduce just one/a few well known targets…it just doesn’t make sense to regard one as natural and the other as a threat when DNA technology makes the difference so arbitrary!
I can also confirm that the vast majority of scientist are pro GM…and a huge proportion of UK farmers too.
On a side note…part of the reason big companies like Monsanto have a huge stake in GMOs is because the regulation procedures are so expensive, I mean they cost millions and millions of pounds! So the little man can’t even consider it, reducing the likelihood of investment in orphan crops and more niche markets.
…plus, maybe those losing weight in Europe may be eating fewer processed or high corn syrup foods?!
I respect your opinion even if I am not convinced.
I was responding to the part of your post about the high corn syrup foods. It is weird because I never ate those in the U.S. either and don’t eat processed foods at all. I wonder what it is that so many of us had the same experience? Strange.
@ mendel
I can confirm that the vast majority of scientists are not pro GM nor are UK farmers nor is the British public.
The traditional way of breeding plants has already caused some very nasty side effects. I doubt that GMO techniques would be better merely because it affects less genes? The interaction of the genes hasn’t been researched as of yet and therefore nobody can safely predict what happens if you add or change a few genes in a genetic code. Pretending anybody really understood what is happening when you change a genetic code is simply deceptive.
Besides in this forum anybody could claim that he or she was a scientist.
I think that ultimately, the GMO issue has somehow become the focus for ALL of our current issues with big agra. I certainly understand the scientific side – nutritionally, there is no difference between a GMO crop and a non-GMO crop, and GMOs have helped us to have much greater food stability. But conversely, I am also aware that there is significant anecdotal evidence that points to issues within our current system – there are more and more allergies and sensitivities than ever before. When even farmers say that they’d never eat industrially farmed potatoes (and instead grow their own) you know there’s a problem. It isn’t the GMO crop itself so much as the pesticides used.
Bridget : Yes, GMO is a focus point against the agriculture “industry”. But I still want to be able to know if the foods I buy are GMO. I’m an adult and I believe I should have that choice. I think GMO growing companies know people would rather not buy GMO foods, so the companies want to keep hiding this information.
And I have heard a lot of the same things about food allergies and sensitivities – i.e. people who can’t eat gluten products in the US going to Europe and being able to eat gluten with no problem, then coming back to the US and getting sick on gluten again.
Science has determined GMOs to be safe. People also need to remember that without GMOs , programs that feed people in developing countries would be unable to do their job. The whole anti-GMO stance is very much a first world one.
Once upon a time science determined that Thaliodomid was harmless.
Once upon a time science determined that nuclear power stations were completely safe.
Once upon a time science determined that GMO crops . . .
Thalidomid is harmless. The product just didn’t have the enantiomeric purity it should have had.
Science is neither bogeyman nor oracle, you would do well to remember that as you reap the benefits of it.
What an idiotic movement. Guess if you’re rich you have time to waste like this.
I consider it a very worthy movement, and am grateful to both of these women for taking the time to work on a cause which is very important to me and my family and friends.
Thank you Jennifer & Gisele!
Yes, much more important than making sure everyone on the planet has food to eat or clean water to drink. By all means, let’s join the bandwagon of the ill-informed and tilt at the windmill du jour.
Sometimes, when I hear the arguments against GMOs, I start to realize that there’s a strong fundamental lack of understanding or science, specifically genetics. At any point a gene can mutate: they mutate BC of radiation, they mutate from chemical exposure, they sometimes mutate BC RNA just plain doesn’t transfer 100% correctly…my point is that it’s like having a cockroach infestation in a room and there are three specific cockroaches people freak out about. The good of GMOs is that they allow crop yields to accommodate the growing global population, & that some crops are bred to resist droughts and disease. There are no conclusive studies that confirm that yes, allele R-21 or whatever will cause cancer or disease in humans, and it will take some time before we have conclusions like that we can draw. For right now though, we can see the effects of GMOs that are harmful to insects, esp honeybees,which is of real concern….but to humans,there hasn’t been any evidence. And a lot of people don’t realize that the “insecticide” that is lethal to insects are things like caffeine or peppermint oil or other things that would not affect a human adversely in small amounts.
With the reality of a booming global population and global warming changing crop and growing patterns, we’d be foolish to discount GMOs. They were the great hope that I learned about only 20 yrs ago while studying biology in college. Since then, the Hope has been besmirched with people who do not have strong science backgroundsand are leading accusations not based upon research, but gut and limited observation. I say go ahead and label though, if it makes people feel better and confident in their food ,but it is truly a privilege to have that. I don’t think GMOs deserve the stigma that they carry so far,even though I know for many that the jury is still out. They have been in our food supply for a very long time, and we don’t know if other factors -increased uv , pollution, etc may be also contributing to health problems people claim unless a study is tightly controlled.
Currently you are besmirching people who according to you don’t have a scientific background but – according to you – need one.
Guess what … it is possible to educate yourself about scientific matters and become well-read enough to challenge people with academic degrees and even scientists.
And I doubt that anybody who got his biology degree in college (not even a BA, I assume?) more than 20 years ago would be good enough to make a valid statement about GMO crops as of today. See, knowledge becomes outdated … especially in natural sciences. Anything older than five to ten years is practically outdated.
But as you did your scientific studies (which degree?) … you certainly know that your knowledge is outdated!
No, it is not possible. People who believe that are just annoying. They skip the part of learning the fundamentals of chemistry/biology/physics and start with reading studies or reviews. That makes them lack the basic understanding of what they want to “challenge the scientist” about.
As a PhD level researcher, I’m going to have to agree with M and annaloo. Most people do not know how to measure the quality of scientific research. People are not educated about sample size, effect size, and appropriate controls. This idea that we can someone know more science using google than someone who has been rigorously trained for 5 to 7 years is preposterous. Most journals are not free access anyway so average citizens don’t even have access to the same quality and level of info as actual research scientists. Do non-researchers even know how to use Pubmed or web of science?
Google University is not research. This is people like Fraud Babe, become famous. Selling junk science.
“it’s not about the risk to human health so much as the potential agricultural issues that come up with GMO crops, such as cross contamination.”
Personally, I don’t like GMOs because they result in things like higher usage of pesticides (because the crops were engineering to withstand more/stronger pesticides).
However, neither of these issues can be resolved through labeling. The agricultural issues need to be addressed through regulation of the farms themselves, or banning them like in Europe. Simply labeling the food may appease the public, but it does little to address the real problems (just like taking the mercury out of the vaccinations – it made the public feel better, but it had no affect on the perceived problem (because it wasn’t a cause of autism in the first place), it was just politics to pander to the cause of the day).
This is the issue for me. GMOs are bred to be able to take something like 20X the level of Round-Up, the pesticide, than older vegetables. Now, what is 20X the level of Round-Up doing to my body??
THAT is what bothers me.
@ Mrs.Krabapple
Labelling GMO crops would have an impact: many people would not buy that GMO-labelled food any more. It is about the power of the consumer.
@ Jib
Exactly.
Well, Monsanto would tell you that your genetic code would have to be modified, too! So that you can take the impact of the pesticides ;-D <– of course I am being cynic here!
I am worried about the very same thing! Too many pesticides etc. and that doesn't make the food any healthier.
THANK YOU for mentioning the carbon footprint (and ecological nightmare, in general) of the meat industry.
I’m proud to be a vegan this Earth Day, especially during a drought that wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for factory farming. But I still consume so many things that hurt the planet, simply because I can’t afford to get everything local and natural. I realize that some people can’t afford to go vegetarian or vegan… our system is broken. Now our planet is breaking too.
Vegan isn’t the only way. Still, I agree. Factory farming of all sorts is terrible.
Our planet is not “breaking” it is changing, and change can have dire consequences for our species, but change is as natural as the sun above us.
I hope the leather pants Gisele is wearing weren’t raised on GMO grains.
Likely not leather.
Its not about organic & non-GMO food being more nutritious, its about NOT wanting petrochemicals in my food or in the soil! This is obvious, isn’t it? Much of the ‘engineering’ of foods has been done for them to withstand much higher levels of agrochemical pesticides and fertilizers (ie. Round Up). These are toxic to the environment (see colony collapse disorder in bees) and toxic to humans.
We don’t need them.
way to go Syd! I don’t care what her family eats, she’s still hot. Somebody give her a real movie or tv show, we need more. The bat can watch the farm.