5 Things that Worry Me More Than GMOs
Author
Published
10/11/2013
My wife and I are parents of a newborn and recovering worrywarts – honestly. We have enough diapers and canned food to survive a slew of historic snowstorms, and we’ve caused our pediatrician to start screening our calls…but we’re getting better.
Case in point – we haven’t lost any sleep over scientists using technology to copy a desired trait from one plant to another (i.e. GMOs).
Dr. Ruth McDonald, Chair of the Department of Food Science at Iowa State University, sums up the research I’ve read from numerous academics regarding GMO testing: “GMOs have been more thoroughly tested than any other food item ever. There has never been any evidence that GMO foods or ingredients made from GMO crops have any negative health effects – and people have been consuming GMO foods for over a decade.”
Have you ever spoken with a doctor about medicine for your pregnant or nursing wife? The best you’re likely to hear is that the medicine is “probably not harmful.” Hearing “never” is a relief.
Today’s GMOs have traits that allow them to resist drought and pests and produce better yields, allowing farmers to use less land, less water, and fewer pesticides – all good things for the environment.
Even Mark Lynas, a prominent environmentalist who helped start the anti-GMO movement (and will speak on a “Straight Talk on GMOs” panel at the World Food Prize next week), recently acknowledged that “the real Frankenstein’s monster was not the GM technology, but our reaction against it.”
Maybe your apprehension runs deeper than mine. Maybe there’s still a small part of you that’s worried the government is hiding aliens and we didn’t really land on the moon, but let’s at least agree that the following possibilities are more worrisome than GMO technology:
Your turn. What will you find to stew over now that you don’t have to worry about GMOs?
Written by Zach Bader. Zach is the Online Community Manager for Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
Case in point – we haven’t lost any sleep over scientists using technology to copy a desired trait from one plant to another (i.e. GMOs).
Dr. Ruth McDonald, Chair of the Department of Food Science at Iowa State University, sums up the research I’ve read from numerous academics regarding GMO testing: “GMOs have been more thoroughly tested than any other food item ever. There has never been any evidence that GMO foods or ingredients made from GMO crops have any negative health effects – and people have been consuming GMO foods for over a decade.”
Have you ever spoken with a doctor about medicine for your pregnant or nursing wife? The best you’re likely to hear is that the medicine is “probably not harmful.” Hearing “never” is a relief.
Today’s GMOs have traits that allow them to resist drought and pests and produce better yields, allowing farmers to use less land, less water, and fewer pesticides – all good things for the environment.
Even Mark Lynas, a prominent environmentalist who helped start the anti-GMO movement (and will speak on a “Straight Talk on GMOs” panel at the World Food Prize next week), recently acknowledged that “the real Frankenstein’s monster was not the GM technology, but our reaction against it.”
Maybe your apprehension runs deeper than mine. Maybe there’s still a small part of you that’s worried the government is hiding aliens and we didn’t really land on the moon, but let’s at least agree that the following possibilities are more worrisome than GMO technology:
- Volcanic eruptions and polar bear attacks (you know we’re in Iowa, right?)
- Wage freezes for Congress
- Mayan Apocalypse Zombie Apocalypse
- Y2K Y3K
- Taxes on your lottery winnings
Your turn. What will you find to stew over now that you don’t have to worry about GMOs?
Written by Zach Bader. Zach is the Online Community Manager for Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.