Harvest of Fear: A Frontline/NOVA Special
Coming April 24th @ 9pm (check local listings)

Genetically modified agriculture-the use of genetic engineering to alter crops for the benefit of mankind -- the controversy has led Europe to ban the planting of genetically modified crops and to demand that all existing "GM" products be labeled. Will America follow suit? This FRONTLINE/NOVA special report examines the growing controversy over genetically modified foods.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

Answers

$$$!

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

I would personally like any food manufactured by General Motors to be so labeled.... ;-)

Actually, when you stop to think about it, General Motors probably is somewhere up high in the business food chain...LOL, sort of...

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

Here is a web site that lists foods with and with/out Genetic Engineering.

http://www.truefoodnow.com/gmo_facts/product_list/pf-list.html

You folks that have big gardens and your own source of meat are lucky.

Namaste, Judy

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

Amen,Judy. Except for wind pollinated crops like corn! Starlink BT gene,you know, the one that is not suitable for human consumption by people like me( BTW I am allergic to corn,didn't used to be, and can eat the corn I grew myself from old seed-very interesting,would you say?). It's now been 'found' in non bt corn seed.Big surprise.I'm shocked.I'm sarcastic,too.

I use bt on my crops,not in them.I put in on the part that get thrown away, not the part I eat. That's the difference,folks.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

Thanks for the heads up on this program.Watched it.Started to nod off at the tail end,tho.Past my bedtime,I guess.

No surprises for me but I've been following the issue.Glad they covered the allergy issue.GMO foods can and have caused allergies.FDA insists on labeling peanuts for example,bc of allergy problem,but not GMO foods.So,why not label? Hmmm...Monsanto heavily invested in this technology.Hmmm... sounds like corporations running the show one more time.What's good for Monsanto is good for the country,right?

Can't help but wonder,if Starlink is not suitable for human consumption bc of potential for allergy problem,how is is NOT a potential allergy problem for livestock? You and I know how bad allergies can be and how sick you gan get.Why would animals not suffer the same ill effects?

And,trying to compare conventional breeding programs to GMO programs is like comparing oranges to fishes( or putting a fish gene in an orange?).

Yes,conventional breeding programs can produce risks,but it IS restricted to crossing related species. Transganic GMO allows scientists to bypass biological boundaries.So here we go, playing God again. Hey it's about a whole lot more than butterflies. It's irreversible-genes can't be recalled!

Well.enough of my rant.Hey you all just go read some labels from stuff in your cupboard.See how much corn product is there.See how much GMO food you've been eating for the last,what,5 years.Eye opener time. Did you know it? Are you happy about that?

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

Has anyone heard about a Canadian farmer who has been ordered by the courts to pay damages to Monsanto because his normal soybeans were contaminated by Roundup-resistant soybeans from a neighbor's field? I thought that I read something about it on the Greenpeace website but I can't find it now.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

Why would the farmer with normal soybeans (normal before contamination that is) have to pay Monsanto? I can't make any sense out of that!

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2001

He has to pay Monsanto because now is is growing Roundup-ready soybeans but he doesn't have a license from the company to do so. Never mind that he doesn't want these beans in his field, they were a contaminant and not a deliberate planting on his part.

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2001

Sue has the specifics of the Monsanto case over on the CS forum. The title of the post is GM Seed.

I work in biotechnology, but not in the agricultural sector. It's been strange to listen to the response to this story from the other side of the issue. Most of the people in the industry think that these farmers should be punished for "trying to steal our technology", and "what is this going to do to profits if just anyone can grow it". This job pays well, it's allowing me to pay off my debts and get beyond the sidewalks eventually, but somedays I wonder if I'm selling my soul....

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2001

You can be the "spy" for the other side (us), Sherri, until you can get free!

Yeah, that is funny, to read how the other side thinks. I hope they're so worried about their technology being "stolen" that they make sure that this "accidental" drift can't happen! How about suing the farmer (ag business?) who "gave away" their technology? [ironic shrug]

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2001

I've heard something like this before. Monsanto has a patent on the Roundup Ready soybeans. The farmer turns up with the gene in his soybeans, so he's infringing on Monsanto's patent, and owes Monsanto damages. Then, I think, the farmer countersues Monsanto for contaminating his non-GMO crop. Monsanto loses, and the farmer wins, and Monsanto runs off with its tail between its legs, but the story lives on. That's the version I heard, anyway. Seems fair, at least.

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2001