Polly, thanks for the welcome! I continue to do well, but it's never entirely smooth sailing, and I continue finding valuable nuggets of new information on the forum!
How to fight back is a tough question. The truth is that those of us who are concerned about our food safety are in the minority. And the mega-corporations are clever about portraying us as weirdos who will cost the majority money in higher food prices if we get our way. But getting discouraged and giving up isn't the way to go. These sorts of citizen-based activisms have their ebbs and flows and require a sustained commitment. Just think about how long it took for gay rights to finally become main stream, or cigarette smoking in public places to become banned. However, I'm afraid that it will take some sort of major disaster with GMO's to get the public concerned enough to support action in regulating them.
There are a number of third party groups that will certify products as non-GMO, and as long as some non-GMO food companies feel that there is a good market for their products this will be a way for those of us who are concerned about GMO's to know what to buy. But with the international distribution of food stuffs, it will get harder and harder. And of course if non-GMO foods are more valuable, the temptation to cheat is always present. We just have to do the best we can, like so many other things in life.........
Rosie
More on GMOs - very bad news
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
And some late-breaking good news! I just read on NPR that the USDA is implementing a voluntary non-GMO labeling process.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/201 ... el-programAs this issue gains traction with consumers, lots of Americans are wary of GMO foods. And more are just flat out confused about what they are, where they are in the food supply and whether they're dangerous. There is no evidence, by the way, that eating genetically-modified foods poses a threat to health.
But, out of precaution, it seems, more consumers are avoiding them. And retailers and restaurants are responding to customers' evolving expectations.
Just last month, Chipotle said it would remove most ingredients made with GMOs from its menu. And two years ago, Whole Foods told its suppliers that by 2018 all of its products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must indicate if they contain genetically modified organisms.
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
IMO, the key is demand for GMO products (or lack of it). This is still a capitalistic country, and wherever there is sufficient demand, someone will will try to meet that demand (and make a buck or 2 in the process). The organically-produced market is a prime example of that.
Attempting to outlaw GMO technology is doomed to failure. That's not going to happen. Technology always dominates. So a non-GMO industry will have to stand on it's own, supported by demand in the marketplace.
There has to be a perception of value to justify the added cost. The organic industry has successfully done that, but now they have a different problem — distrust of the core concept — people don't trust the integrity of organic labeling. Why? Because the industry has allowed imposters to mimic organic status by the use of vague and misleading labeling.
Why Consumers Don’t Trust ‘Organic’ Labels
IOW, the problem lies in communication and semantics.
Why do I bring this up? Because the anti-GMO movement has a similar communication problem. Unfortunately the ranks of sincere people who are truly concerned about the future health of the residents of this country (and the world), were infiltrated early on by opportunistic individuals and groups who recognize an opportunity to grab power and status when they see one, and they also know that power and status equal money. So they took over most of the blogging about GMOs. And IMO, they destroyed the credibility of the anti-GMO movement by filling their blogs with emotionalism, half-truths, and outright distortions of the facts, in order to gain followers. For those of us who cherish truth and honesty in reporting, few things kill credibility faster than a campaign based on emotionalism, half-truths, and outright distortions of the facts.
So the non-GMO movement needs to get it's act together, get rid of the emotionalism, half-truths, and distortions of the facts, and demonstrate that there is a legitimate and substantial market for GMO products that must be preserved and promoted. If for no other reason, simple freedom of choice.
So what am I trying to say here? The non-GMO movement should stop wasting it's time and money fighting technology (that's time and money down a rat hole), embrace it, and promote an alternative viewpoint that non-GMO food should not only be saved, but strongly promoted, because there is a huge (sustainable) market for non-GMO products. And of course, in order to preserve a non-GMO industry, proper labeling is essential. And let's try to avoid the mistakes made by the organic food industry when shoddy labeling practices slowly crept in and severely damaged their credibility over the years.
The handwriting is on the wall. If non-GMO is going to remain a viable option in the marketplace, it's going to have to stand on it's own merits, because GMO technology is never going away. Looking back in history at the evolution of agriculture, new technology has always been met with vehement opposition initially, rather than to be embraced, but new technology has never been rescinded, after it has become available, and eventually it always becomes routine. That said, it's very encouraging that a number of companies are coming forward with plans to offer non-GMO menus. Clearly, the demand is there, or they couldn't afford to do that.
So the topic of this thread is right on target — accurate and reliable labeling is paramount to the survival of non-GMO food. I was aware that USDA was working on a voluntary GMO (non-GMO) labeling option, but how successful a voluntary program will be remains to be seen. Still, it's better than nothing.
And remember, this rambling is just my opinion, FWIW.
Tex
Attempting to outlaw GMO technology is doomed to failure. That's not going to happen. Technology always dominates. So a non-GMO industry will have to stand on it's own, supported by demand in the marketplace.
There has to be a perception of value to justify the added cost. The organic industry has successfully done that, but now they have a different problem — distrust of the core concept — people don't trust the integrity of organic labeling. Why? Because the industry has allowed imposters to mimic organic status by the use of vague and misleading labeling.
Why Consumers Don’t Trust ‘Organic’ Labels
IOW, the problem lies in communication and semantics.
Why do I bring this up? Because the anti-GMO movement has a similar communication problem. Unfortunately the ranks of sincere people who are truly concerned about the future health of the residents of this country (and the world), were infiltrated early on by opportunistic individuals and groups who recognize an opportunity to grab power and status when they see one, and they also know that power and status equal money. So they took over most of the blogging about GMOs. And IMO, they destroyed the credibility of the anti-GMO movement by filling their blogs with emotionalism, half-truths, and outright distortions of the facts, in order to gain followers. For those of us who cherish truth and honesty in reporting, few things kill credibility faster than a campaign based on emotionalism, half-truths, and outright distortions of the facts.
So the non-GMO movement needs to get it's act together, get rid of the emotionalism, half-truths, and distortions of the facts, and demonstrate that there is a legitimate and substantial market for GMO products that must be preserved and promoted. If for no other reason, simple freedom of choice.
So what am I trying to say here? The non-GMO movement should stop wasting it's time and money fighting technology (that's time and money down a rat hole), embrace it, and promote an alternative viewpoint that non-GMO food should not only be saved, but strongly promoted, because there is a huge (sustainable) market for non-GMO products. And of course, in order to preserve a non-GMO industry, proper labeling is essential. And let's try to avoid the mistakes made by the organic food industry when shoddy labeling practices slowly crept in and severely damaged their credibility over the years.
The handwriting is on the wall. If non-GMO is going to remain a viable option in the marketplace, it's going to have to stand on it's own merits, because GMO technology is never going away. Looking back in history at the evolution of agriculture, new technology has always been met with vehement opposition initially, rather than to be embraced, but new technology has never been rescinded, after it has become available, and eventually it always becomes routine. That said, it's very encouraging that a number of companies are coming forward with plans to offer non-GMO menus. Clearly, the demand is there, or they couldn't afford to do that.
So the topic of this thread is right on target — accurate and reliable labeling is paramount to the survival of non-GMO food. I was aware that USDA was working on a voluntary GMO (non-GMO) labeling option, but how successful a voluntary program will be remains to be seen. Still, it's better than nothing.
And remember, this rambling is just my opinion, FWIW.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I'm with Polly. Our food is redefined and I don't like it. I agree with Tex that our natural foods will cross-pollenate with our GMO food and because of man, what we know as the food of nature will be gone. We will have a "product" with a proprietary identity. Our food is going the way of our farms. We are not losing our family farms, they are for practical purposes, gone. Farming is now big corporations using GMO products and competing with China.
So, how difficult is it for other countries to strong-arm the U.S. now? How much money do we owe China? If we were sanctioned by other countries, where would we get an apple, a pair of pants, a tooth brush.....? Where is the nuts and bolts of our banking industry handled....India! Are we vulnerable? What will life look like when our incomes finish leveling off with other countries. What part of our income willl we pay for an apple and a toothbrush? Lots! And we can't make our own! Back to GMO and proprietary seeds....
So, how difficult is it for other countries to strong-arm the U.S. now? How much money do we owe China? If we were sanctioned by other countries, where would we get an apple, a pair of pants, a tooth brush.....? Where is the nuts and bolts of our banking industry handled....India! Are we vulnerable? What will life look like when our incomes finish leveling off with other countries. What part of our income willl we pay for an apple and a toothbrush? Lots! And we can't make our own! Back to GMO and proprietary seeds....
Rosie, I was happy to hear about the new FDA non-GMO labelling procedure. Apparently a very large company petitioned them to do this - a company committed to using non GMO corn and soy. The FDA didn't identify the company- I wonder what it is? Hopefully, more companies will choose to move in this direction.
DJ, wow, you really are in tune with the big picture! I predict it won't be long now until the Chinese currency (yuan/renminbi) will be the world's reserve currency.....AND it will be backed up by gold, which the Chinese are buying up like crazy. Once that happens, we will be paying huge amounts of money for everything.....far more for an apple and a toothbrush.
Polly
DJ, wow, you really are in tune with the big picture! I predict it won't be long now until the Chinese currency (yuan/renminbi) will be the world's reserve currency.....AND it will be backed up by gold, which the Chinese are buying up like crazy. Once that happens, we will be paying huge amounts of money for everything.....far more for an apple and a toothbrush.
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.