Genetically Engineered Foods, would we starve without them

Fire-Starter · #1 12-01-2009, 04:07 PM

Has the world population grown to the point that Genetically Engineered Food is a must? or is this really about something else? i.e...greed. Would we eventually starve to death if it suddenly was outlawed?

I suspect there could be arguments made on both sides, for example, the chem injected into the foods, plants, animals etc are causing the human body more harm then good. OTOH, How can we feed the world without it? I'm all for organic foods, but again, could the world survive on this?

Thoughts

René_Julien · #2 12-01-2009, 04:25 PM

yes

(to the title)

coreyfyfe · #3 12-01-2009, 04:26 PM

Norman Borlaug.

On the other hand - are we too over populated today because of his and other peoples work in genetic modification of crops?

fdeck · #4 12-01-2009, 04:31 PM

What do you mean by "genetically engineered" foods? Virtually all of our major crops are the product of selective breeding. What do you mean by chemicals? I have read that a fifth of the world's animal population is sustained by the Haber process. We feed a large fraction of the food that we produce to livestock, and also to ourselves, just to carry around on our bodies.

Ericman197 · #5 12-01-2009, 05:20 PM

Assuming GMO's are made in a way that is safe for human consumption, there isn't much of a downside.

For example, engineering a corn crop that produces a substance harmless to humans, but toxic to insects. If you can prove that the substance has no effect on humans, then not only does this save a lot of money, but it actually makes for a healthier product - no pesticides necessary.

Of course, there needs to be oversight in the process to make sure that what they're doing is safe for humans, the environment, etc. As long as that is the case, I don't really care about GMO vs. non-GMO.

JonathanD · #6 12-01-2009, 05:26 PM

Many other countries refuse GMO foods and "conventional" crops (Crops with pesticides) cost more. Organic foods cost less and are more prominent. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Japan are some examples. The process of eliminating variety, in bulk production, may cause us to lose some crops all together. This can also be said of selective breeding with Bananas.

There are pros and cons to GMO, I would just like to see more testing before implementation.

The Crusader · #7 12-01-2009, 07:54 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy1__yOE5kg

My Kitchen Is Not Your Lab

James Hart · #8 12-01-2009, 08:07 PM

the world over produces food... people starve while storehouses sit full.

Here is some food for thought (1.5 hour Documentary of GMO & Big Business giving the shaft to the farming industry).
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food

**jmattbassplaya** · #9 12-01-2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Hart

the world over produces food... people starve while storehouses sit full.

Here is some food for thought (1.5 hour Documentary of GMO & Big Business giving the shaft to the farming industry).
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food

Didn`t watch the vid, but I was under the impression that some insane amount(I believe I read 40-60%) of all food produced in the US goes to waste - whether it`s not reaching consumers or it`s simply not being eaten. I`ll see if I can find the source, but in any case just imagine if that were true for not only us but most major nations around the world. We could probably solve world hunger as it is if we could just solve whatever logistical problems we may currently have.