In Support of GM Food

I'm tired of this uninformed European whining about GM food. To

date GM food has caused zero fatalities, and has, in fact, saved the
lives of many people in the Third World who can now afford to eat
thanks to cheaper food brought about by the higher yield of GM
crops.
Anton, USA

I believe that GM foods have the potential to reduce the amount of

herbicides that need to be used. This is of benefit to humans but
may not benefit some plants and animals. However what is more
important to humans - our welfare or that of other living things? I
believe as a human that we should look after out own species first.
Brian, Malvern England

Who can really prove it is wholly organic, as you and I are just
laymen in this? We do not grow the crops, neither are we there to
ensure total organic treatment. However, in developing countries,
GM crops are needed because of pest invasions and droughts, not
for taste or health.
AG, Kenya

If we "ban" GM technology for food, where does that leave GM

technology for medicine. We have been using GM insulin (for
diabetics) and GM-tPA (for heart attacks) for years now. If the
Media and the public persist in this we will lose our pool of scientists
in GM-food industry, this will also threaten GM in medicine as well.
H Ong, UK
If it has passed the standard health and safety tests, I would eat it.
I see nothing morally incorrect about GM foods and feel that it is
only the uninformed that really go against it!
Matt, UK

When are people going to realise that these new food production
experiments hold the key to ending world famine. In case anyone
has failed to realise, the World's population is growing at an
alarming rate. 'Genetic Engineering' is nothing new - the cross-
pollination of plants and flowers has been going on for years. The
fact that scientists happen to have identified certain genes and
given this process a new name is irrelevant. The sooner the media
gets bored of this pointless debate and people start thinking for
themselves the better.
Neil, UK

Do the anti-GM food lobby realise that all the food they eat is
genetically modified? Our entire modern crops and animals are the
result of (in cases) thousands of years of selective breeding to
produce varieties of plants and animals with desirable qualities
(size, taste, disease resistance and speed of growth). They are
genetically quite different from their ancestors. If we could grow
only the strains of maize and potatoes used by the American
Indians and the cows of the Ancient Britons, most of the world
would be starving. GM is merely achieving genetic modification with
greater speed and precision. Bring on the jumbo salmon!
Chris, Australia
Against GM Food
Supporters of large-scale farming argue that we have been
genetically modifying organisms by crossbreeding for hundreds of
years. But crossbreeding has natural limits, which we have
breached. Crossbreeding never involved pumping animals full of
chemicals to make them leaner or produce more milk. The current
situation is of our own making and we must learn to live with the
consequences.
Annie, Reading, UK

Genetically engineered food is WRONG!!! It's inevitable that

dabbling with nature will upset nature's balance and if we start
engineering food, where will we end up - genetically engineering
humans?
Jane, Nottinghamshire, UK

I oppose the introduction of GM foods into the food supply without

very long-term testing, and without labelling of this type of food. I
believe corporations have no concern for the harm they may cause
by genetic modification. Their only concern is profits, and gaining
control of the food supply.
Dave, Salinas, CA, USA

It's too dangerous to play roulette with what we eat. One of the
lessons I took away from two years spent studying genetics is that
the natural order is a complex and beautiful thing. It is something
that has evolved, slowly and steadily over hundreds of millions of
years. The subtlety, intricacy and delicacy with which organisms go
about the cycle of their lives is simply breathtaking. Are we humans
really so arrogant that we believe that we are bigger than nature,
that after just a couple of decades of tinkering around with DNA in
laboratories has taught us enough to "improve" on nature? The
problem is that if we get it wrong, there is no going back; there is
no Undo in nature's Edit menu.
Matt, London

While we are busy spraying our crops with chemicals and feeding
our livestock unnatural products I challenge any of our food
producers to prove that they are not poisoning us as well as
damaging our flora and fauna. If you want to eat food that is both
healthier for you and the environment, eat organic!
Harry, Munich, Germany

While GM foods will probably be safe for human consumption, a

more serious concern is the unforeseen consequences of releasing
genetically modified organisms into the environment without
understanding the consequences. The death of monarch butterflies
from BT corn is a good example of this and may only be the tip of
the iceberg. Despite mankind's recent technological advances, we
are still dependent on nature for our survival. The costs of
tampering with complex systems we don't understand could far
outweigh the benefits of GM crops
David, Boulder, Colorado, USA

I buy organic produce regularly. It often tastes better compared to

regular foods. However, I am concerned about the impact of GM
contamination and the effect on the organic produce market which
could be devastated through government-sponsored pollution.
Paul R, UK
In the light of the government's recent admission that GM crops can
affect any other crops anywhere, I don't see much point buying
organic any more.
John B, UK

GM modified organisms if released can permanently contaminate

the environment. No other form of pollution has this permanent
effect. It is totally unreasonable to leave future generations to deal
with the problems this may cause.
Sarah, UK

Isn't it bad enough that we breed animals to kill and eat? Do we

really need to modify them to save us time and money? This is just
good old American greed gone one step nearer insanity.
Justin, UK

There is a need to produce food that will sustain the world's ever
increasing population but at what cost. Until it has been proven
beyond all reasonable doubt that there is not a catastrophe in the
making then we should take caution before we possibly destroy the
delicate balance of nature.
Barry, England