ARTICLE: Why GMOs Might Not Be Such a Bad Thing After All

The following is an excerpt of an interview in Vice, "Why GMOs Might Not Be Such a Bad Thing After All," about some of the myths about GMOs. 

Let’s get into some of those myths about GMOs.

There are so many! Here are just a few:

-That GMOs are the only unnaturally genetically manipulated organisms. Almost all of the foods we consume, including organic, have had their genomes altered in very unnatural ways, in the field or in a lab, using methods that wouldn’t occur in nature.

-That GMOs are untested and unsafe, and that they cause increased incidence of allergies and health problems. It’s also unscientific and arbitrary to subject genetic engineering to more regulatory scrutiny than those created with others methods. Plants created with exposure to mutagenic chemicals or radiation, like commonly available wheat-based products, aren’t subject to the testing that GMOs are, even though there is nothing more or less inherently risky about GM techniques when compared to others.

-That advocating for genetic engineering is the same as standing for corporate interests. Several of my colleagues and I, writers, scientists, parents, and skeptics promote the truth and science of GMOs because of the injustices these myths perpetuate.

-That lobbying and protesting against GM and other agricultural technologies is a way to stick it to Monsanto and big agribusiness. Most people don’t realize that the anti-GMO lobby actually helps large corporations like Monsanto, with the current overly stringent, largely unscientific regulatory framework making it prohibitively expensive and difficult for smaller players to get products from research to market.

To read the complete article, please visit the Vice website.