I am aware of the pros and cons conserning this issue and that most of our food today is in some way already genetically modified. I was just curious to hear your opinions on whether or not we should continue to produce them.
2006-12-04 05:55:34 · 6 answers · asked by Guess Who 1 in Environment
There is no reason not to. I'm particularly in favor of those genetic modifications which could ultimately improve nutritional value or which enhance the stability of a product, leading to reduced cost to the consumer, or those which lead to a lowered use of fertilizers and pesticides. There is no evidence to indicate that genetically modified foods have any nutritional disadvantage or harmful aspects compared to non-GMO foods. So, why not...?
2006-12-04 05:59:19 · answer #1 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's nothing wrong with it whatsoever, no cons involved. The people who speak against it have no idea what they're talking about, they have a generally negative image of doing things that are 'unnatural' and complain about 'chemicals' in their food, though they don't distinguish what these chemicals are, since everything is composed of chemical compounds unless it is in fact an element, I'm not sure why they'd have a problem with them if they didn't know which ones they were. Usually the genetic modification in food is just to improve its photonic efficiency so it can produce more, now wheat produces three times as much, which has saved plenty of lives.
2006-12-04 06:06:13 · answer #2 · answered by thalog482 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have absolutly no problem with GM foods. Honestly we are just helping out plant species by making them more resistent to diseases and preditors. This would disrupt the food chain if we were doing this and then releasing the plants into the wild to compete with other plants -- but we're not. We're planting these GM crops on farms and then consuming the product.... this isn't a bad thing.
The one answer I saw that was against GM foods doesn't really understand what GM foods are judging from this quote--
"Apparently most supermarket fruit and veg is GM- the idea that our tomatoes were not grown in soil chills me to say the least."
I can assure you that whether a plant is grown in soil or not has nothing to do with it being genetically modified or not. Growing by hydroponics can be done with many plants, modified or not - and why you'd have a problem with hydroponics is beyond my understanding. It's not like they're growing tomatoes in petri dishes... GM foods are grown in the ground like any other plant, they just have certain genetic traits that make them more resiliant and productive. It also makes the product more standerdized in size/quality which is good for everyone - especially the poor.
I honestly have no idea why there is such a furor over GM foods over in Europe. Seems like misdirected hostility to me.
2006-12-04 06:47:06 · answer #3 · answered by brooks b 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Genetic engineering is the panacea of hunger and disease. Imagine a "perfect" food that could deliver to us all the nutrients we need in a bowlful of rice or oatmeal. This food could also be impervious to pests and bacteria that cause spoilage.
This food may seem far-fetched, but so was space travel 300 years ago. What is the use of having knowledge if we refuse to use it to our advantage? We know how to manipulate genes to enhance a crop's yield, its resistance to disease and pests, and its nutritional value already: we've been doing it since the dawn of agriculture. Since we now have the means of evolving a "supercrop" within a few of its generations instead of over a course of 1000s of years, we are obligated by the 10,000 human generations that have preceeded us to do so.
2006-12-04 06:05:49 · answer #4 · answered by jogimo2 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Seriously screwed up.
We are all animals that need to drink to hydrate our body and need to eat for protein and nutrients to keep our bodies working. Why would we choose science over nature when nature has proved key to animal survival throughout life as we know it.
The whole GM thing is bananas (or is that genetically modified bananas!).
Apparently most supermarket fruit and veg is GM- the idea that our tomatoes were not grown in soil chills me to say the least. It conjures up images of big plastic vats filled with blue nourishment jelly.
There is something about GM food that is just plain wrong. The fact that all the apples are the same size, same colour and same tasteless texture says it all really.
Go organic + grow your own, folks!
2006-12-04 06:03:40 · answer #5 · answered by midsojo 4 · 3⤊ 4⤋
I'm all for it. If we can increase our yield using science, why not?
2006-12-04 05:58:45 · answer #6 · answered by Chris J 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋