Re: Genetically Modified Food.

I think what we need is for food to be clearly labelled so we can make our own choices, I have always argued for that with Halal foods and horse meat, we just need to know what we are eating and serving.

Re: Genetically Modified Food.

Obviously, I can't speak for you but personally, I don't ingest any of those things so they won't enter my bloodstream and, hence, my organs.

arsenic - during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, a number of arsenic compounds have been used as medicines to treat illnesses such as syphilis has been replaced by modern antibiotics. Arsenic has been used in a variety of ways over the past 500 years but most commonly in the treatment of cancer. The US Food and Drug Administration in 2000 approved this compound for the treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia that is resistant to ATRA. It was also used to treat psoriasis. Recently new research has been done in locating tumors using arsenic-74 (a positron emitter). The advantages of using this isotope instead of the previously used iodine-124 is that the signal in the PET scan is clearer as the body tends to transport iodine to the thyroid gland producing a lot of noise.

In subtoxic doses, soluble arsenic compounds act as stimulants and were once popular in small doses as medicine by people in the mid-18th century.

anthrax - a naturally occuring bacteria that people don't tend to be asked to, or choose to, consume

tsunamis - a naturally occuring phenomena that people don't get asked to consume

blue ringed octopus - ditto the above comments

hemlock - although every part of it is lethally toxic, handled by professionals, hemlock leaves, root, and seeds are used to make medicine. It is used for breathing problems including bronchitis, whooping cough, and asthma; and for painful conditions including teething in children, swollen and painful joints, and cramps.

Hemlock is also used for anxiety and mania. Other uses include treatment of spasms tumors, skin infections, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Sydenham’s chorea, and bladder infections. Hemlock has also been used to reverse strychnine poisoning.

Vlad the Impaler? - I would most likely complain if he was added to my food as well.

Good try but - next?

Re: Genetically Modified Food.

Hear hear.

Re: Genetically Modified Food.

Definitely !

Re: Genetically Modified Food.

lol!!! Good point.

I am far more concerned with the growth hormones and antibiotics fed to cattle and all meat animals than I am GMO foods. Those ARE harmful, causing pandemic problems such as antibiotic resistance and obesity. However HOW does altering a gene in a food product actually harm us? I really would love some examples... and I'm not trying to be snarkey here... I would really like to know.

My feeling is that if we can engineer an organism by using gene alteration to produce more muscle mass and to resist diseases, shouldn't we do so rather than use hormones, antibiotics and pesticides?

Re: Genetically Modified Food.

I agree with you, One of our major supermarkets has a big thing about all its meat being grown without the use of hormones and I think antibiotics have been banned for a while but the way we are going unless there is a serious breakthrough soon we could be back to the 1920s when any bacterial infection could be untreatable and fatal.

I think one major problem with GM grain at the moment is that it is designed to be sterile ie the farmer cannot save a bit of the season's grain to grow the next crop. (The commercial reasons for this are obvious) This might be fine for Australian farmers (not that we grow any commercial GM crops) but would be useless for 3rd world farmers.