All I can really say is… wow. And that’s not a good ‘wow.’
I had a general awareness of the issues surrounding the genetic engineering of food, but this film gives an excellent and in-depth overview of both the scientific and ethical concerns stemming from this technology. I can’t even begin to comment yet on all the points that hit me; I’m still processing it all to be able to communicate the ideas in my own words, and I need to watch it again. But one thing I can say for sure: this film certainly reinforced my commitment to organics. Whether we’re talking about food, personal care, or textiles, organic = no genetic modification (among other important distinctions).
The whole film is up online for viewing at the link below. I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions after you’ve watched it.
http://www.thefutureoffood.com/onlinevideo.html
also “wow” here. Just watched it…thx for the tip. Will have to think more about comments. My first thoughts are: 1) ok, so what do I feed my family now? 2) what do we as a country/world do about this? the problem seems so big and multi-faceted; and 3) is there something I can do to make things better at a level smaller than the “world,” but larger than just my family? Re: #1, the answer certainly seems to be in the space of eating locally, farmer’s markets, organics / pesticide-free / non-GMO, and growing (some of) our own food.
Interested in more of your thoughts as you have time.
Great questions, Jenny. Personally, I think you’re spot on about commitment to certain food choices. Recently, I was talking with someone about which should be a higher priority – local or organic? Of course, ideally, one would not have to choose, but in reality, for now, we sometimes do have to choose. And I think I might have to go with organic winning that contest, in part because of this issue. Certified organic foods, by legal definitions, contain no GMOs. Of course, the issues of ‘accidental’ cross-pollination are a big concern. It seems quite the “Pandora’s Box” that likely cannot be contained now that it’s released.
Particularly concerning to me was the idea of a “terminator gene” cross-pollinating into non-GMO crops, but on the bright side… This film came out in 2004, and it would appear (if I’m reading Wikipedia correctly) that some global action against such technology was taken in 2006 – thankfully. Though, such moratoriums and laws can be overturned essentially at any time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_use_restriction_technology
I haven’t watched the film a second time yet or given it as much thought as I’d like, but my immediate three actions are: 1- on the family level, continue on our journey toward all organic/sustainable, 2- on the ‘bigger than my family but not quite the world’ level, spread the info as much as possible so more people can become aware of and consider for themselves the concerns surrounding the issue, and 3- on the ‘world’ level, pray. I can’t cover the world myself, but God can. 🙂
Here’s another good article on the issue of GMOs, which also includes some tips on how to “fight back” as best we can.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/11/how-monsanto-controls-the-future-of-food.aspx