This article and the website it links to make GMOs seem terrible and dangerous. The opposite is in fact true. It's unfortunate that Whole Foods is painting GMOs as something to be avoided, but then I've always hated them so I guess I don't really care.
The site they link to warns of the dangers but never says what they are. Then, if you dial in to a PDF buried on the site it finally stated this:Peer-reviewed studies have found harmful effects on the health of laboratory and livestock animals fed GMOs. Effects include toxic and allergenic effects and altered nutritional value.
u Most animal feeding studies on GMOs have only been short-term or medium-term in length. What is needed are long-term and multi-generational studies on GMOs to see if the worrying changes commonly reported in short- and medium-term studies develop into serious disease. Such studies are not required by government regulators.
u Industry and regulators dismiss findings of harm in animal feeding trials on GMOs by claiming they are “not biologically significant” or “not biologically relevant” – scientifically meaningless terms that have not been properly defined.
u No GM nutritionally enhanced (biofortified) foods are available on the market. In contrast, conventional plant breeding has successfully and safely produced many biofortified foods.
u The most-hyped GM nutritionally enhanced food, Golden Rice, aimed at combating vitamin A deficiency, has wasted millions in development funds – yet has not been proven safe to eat and is still not ready for the market. Meanwhile, proven and inexpensive solutions to vitamin A deficiency are available and only need proper funding to be more widely applied.
u Conventional plant breeding has successfully and safely produced many biofortified foods.
-allergy and altered nutritional value? That's all you've got? I can see wanting more research in to the effects, but in the absence of that research, making it appear to be evil just seems wrong. Brilliant marketing by the non GMO people. My guess is that there are a lot of hungry people in this world that could care less about GMO.
Right. There is no scientific evidence that GMOs are harmful or dangerous. They're just the future, and some people have a problem with that. The bottom line, luckily, is GMOs aren't going anywhere in the places they're needed most -- Green Revolution third-world countries, etc.
Actually Kenya recently banned GMO foods. Other countries in Africa may follow suit. The reasons given by the Kenyan authorities are pretty shoddy. They are banning them until it is proven that they are not harmful. Guilty until proven innocent. http://allafrica.com/stories/201211301197.html
I have nothing against precaution and to the extent it's feasible, consumers should know what they're buying. But this announcement coincides a little too neatly with the release of the CEO's book "Conscientious Capitalism". The below photo was take. By me tonight at our local whole foods.
Thats true, and ultimately who knows? Maybe this will be seen as brilliant legislation ahead of its time. It just seems to be done prematurely. Human lives are also dependant on the availability of food, and there are places where without GMO's demand would quickly outpace supply.
Whole foods is a bully. They're a very powerful company with substantial buying power and they flex their muscle often. Its a bit cultish, like TED. These days when you're at their stores you're likely to be asked to give to their "whole world foundation", buy the founders "book" or indoctrinate yourself in to their folds in any number of ways. Ill admit that we predominantly shop there, but we get in and out as quickly as we can. If I could find one spot to buy all the items we like other than WF, I would. I don't think WF cares about GMO, I think they see an opportunity and are seizing it. If they can make GMO free items seem like a luxory, they can command a heftier margin. It's about money and controing your supply chain. They have all the leverage when they control the message and the can steer demand.
WF is also expensive as hell, and the one where I'm from is constantly in the news for negative PR stuff that isn't even related to food. (I remember a thing a few months (years?) back where all pedicab drivers in town boycotted WF after they claimed a pedicab wasn't a bike, couldn't be where it was, and made a huge hassle for some poor guy trying to eat lunch.)If I could find one spot to buy all the items we like other than WF, I would.
I grew up spoiled. - God bless Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, it's sold out to an extent in the last ten years -- that would be the world headquarters, which takes up an entire fucking city block.
I've actually been to the Whole Foods in Autsin, it's pretty big for sure. Also, when you check out they ask if you would like to donate to their Whole World Foundation, which is fine. What's not fine is the quiet judgment that occurs when I say "no thank you" every time.the one where I'm from is constantly in the news for negative PR stuff that isn't even related to food.
That's what I mean by the cult-like nature. It's a grocery store but people treat it like it's a way of life or a religion. It's food. I don't need the place where I buy my lettuce to tell me how to feel about pedicabs.