Big Island *takes first step* in banning GMO's

[Rob Tucker]

I think it is a mistake to assume that natural organic foods are not corporate. The natural food industry is heavily invested by corporate America. It is in their profitable best interests to say everything else is bad and only organic food is good. They might even be right... and they may well be wrong, but demonizing all other food production is and has been part of their marketing model.

My point being that business is business and attaching pure altruism to the natural food industry (and it is an industry) may be a bit of a mistake.

The sincere intents of the 1970's back to the land movement has been largely usurped by the investment world... and quite profitably too.

[kalakoa]

In another hundred years, today's biological research will be about as advanced as a flint arrowhead; we really have no idea whether anything is "safe".

Rob is probably much closer to the truth: profit above all else. The food industry has already adapted: so-called "natural" brands are merely clever astroturf (with nice margins, because not everyone can afford them). Meanwhile, plenty money for studies that "prove" GMO (or pesticides, or other factory farming techniques, take your pick) is "completely safe", as well as for lobbyists to keep that scary "GMO" label off the packaging.

Whether the Seralini study was flawed is actually a secondary issue: withdrawing the paper after hiring a former Monsanto person creates the impression of a conspiracy which is far more titillating than the acutal "science". (Case in point: I probably would never have heard of this research otherwise.)

GMOs are already "in the wild", and corporations are already moving to maximise their profit margin by any means necessary (even if "some people" have to die to keep the money flowing). All I want is some transparency; unfortunately these issues are much larger than the evil that corporations do.

[Greg]

Rob is correct. The words "Organic" and "Natural" have become marketing slogans. That's why I shop at stores I trust and look for "locally produced" on the label.

[Obie]

"GMOs are already "in the wild""

So what ? There are thousands of studies that prove they are safe !!

[steve1]

Thousands of studies that GMOs are safe? Me thinks not. Particularly any studies not funded by big business.

But Rob and Greg are right. Just because you buy organic doesn't mean that it's not owned by big business- because big business mas been buying up as many successful organic businesses as they can. Here's a link to a map from this past year of corporate ownerships and alliances:
http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/rcbtoa...rship.html

And as Greg points out, buying local is far more important that buying organic (or chemically grown from far away) because most foods, even produce is typically shipped thousands of miles from where it is ultimately consumed.

(Why is Foodland selling Clemantine tangerines from Florida here when so many of our local tangerine trees are beginning to bear heavily?)

Seems like the first issue to overcome is local control vs. corporate control from somewhere else, and that's one of the reasons why people are willing to restrict GMOs because they are clearly corporate and from somewhere else. And from a genetic standpoint, corporations don't care about preserving heritage lines of food crops in the areas they have been selected for thousands of years to become most adaptable and responsive to local conditions.
Mexico just decided to ban GMO corn because it threatens their multitude of heritage corn varieties which are and will continue to be essential to the perpetuation of their local food crops.
Haven't heard of anyone being able to survive by eating money, but in the end <making money> is all that corporations care about.

[punaticbychoice]

steve1:
That's it in a concise manner.

[PauHana]

Too true Rob.
I look for "Organic" when I shop. That's why I buy my locally made bread at our favorite natural food store, because it is made with "organic" salt! ?
Check the label of ingredients.