Quote:
Originally Posted by dredge
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I'm just a guy who has an interest in nutrition. I was a professional Chef for many years. I managed a High School Cafeteria. I traveled to Mongolia as a consultant and Chef instructor, where I opened a upscale Western Restaurant and trained the staff of about 12 restaurants. etc....
I'm currently an IT student studying Information Assurance/ Network Security at a local tech college.
I don't have to be a scientist to care about what is in our food or what my family eats, and I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that there is a correlation between GMO and rising health issues like cancer and allergies.
So I chose to get informed on the issue,
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Alright, considering this, I'm going to assume that IRL you're a reasonable guy who has some experience and is on the right-side of the intelligence curve. That said, let me make a few comments:
1. My guess for the resistance from food large companies for the label change is that it will cost an amount of money that they don't want to spend. I work as an engineer in the medical device industry and the requirements for labeling is very clearly laid out, deviation from which can result in the FDA/CADA coming down on you like the wrath of God. That said, changing labels can be a pain in the ass on a smaller scale - now multiple that by all the products these companies have and I can understand their desire not to mess with their labeling.
2. Either you or someone else mentioned that there is a lack of regulation on what is GMO, etc. I would say that this is the largest issue within the field of GE-ing as regulation is the key to safety. Going back to medical devices, I feel no misgivings if I had to have a procedure in the hospital that uses devices due to the field being so heavily regulated as to assure top quality. Like-wise, GMO can be made perfectly safe (assuming nothing to the contrary rigorously disproves this) with proper regulation such as documentation of quantities of chemicals, what genes are being replaced/modified, standard safety testing performed, and proper labeling. With these regulations in place, I can assure you that the regulating agencies (such as the FDA and CADA) will have no qualms about shutting down producers who violate the regulations that will put consumers at risk.
3. In my mind, there are parallels between medicine 150-200 years ago and now to GMO now compared to possibilities in the future. If you will recall, snake oils, unwashed doctors' hands, and pseudoscience were the norm before the good and bad was separated in medicine that in turn gave rise to the beauty that is modern allopathic and osteopathic medicine. Likewise, GMO is in its infancy and should be nurtured in order to better understand which portions are beneficial and which are harmful so that we don't squander the great potential of this relatively new science.
In summary: Push more for standards and regulation and apply rigorous science to reap the benefits of genetic engineering.
11-07-2012, 10:42 PM
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