Comments on: Organic Food Myths

By: Chris Yeh

Chris Yeh — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:41:51 +0000

All of these attempts to "protect the people" reflect one fundamental reality: The belief that I (because of my moral/intellectual/political superiority) should have the right to tell others (my inferiors) what to do. If their positions are so self-evident, why don't these moral crusaders take their argument straight to "the people" rather than banning whatever they find distasteful.

By: Jeff Nolan

Jeff Nolan — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:38:09 +0000

have you tried Disqus? There is a profile option for email notifications, but it may be that you get notified only when someone replies to your comments.

By: Marshall

Marshall — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:48:39 +0000

yes, wish I could get email replies when new comments were up. i'm actually not enjoying intense debate nearly as much as I'd like. would like to find the time to yank it from marshallk.com actually

By: Jeff Nolan

Jeff Nolan — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:34:41 +0000

As a side note, I am really seeing the value of Intense Debate's ability to thread comments. I've only been running it for about 2 weeks but this post alone demonstrates the capabilities nicely.

By: Jeff Nolan

Jeff Nolan — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:33:09 +0000

the food taxes really agitate me as well, as if a Big Mac and a venti frappucino with whip cream and caramel are all that different… but only the Big Mac gets targeted. What we are seeing with food is the effects of a irrational media campaign inflaming fears and distorting a market. In a yet-to-be-found perfect world, the consumer's wallet would dictate what stores carry and what producers supply, and there would be specialization for market subsets.

By: Marshall Kirkpatrick

Marshall Kirkpatrick — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:27:02 +0000

Funny, I'd argue that cross pollination has already made it much more difficult for me to choose not to eat GM food than vice versa.

By: Jackie Danicki

Jackie Danicki — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:11:11 +0000

What offends me is that moral busybodies would take the choice from me as to whether or not to eat GM food. It's quite simply none of their business what I choose to eat. (No coincidence that these are often the same people agitating for "sin" taxes on "junk" food and subsidies for "good" foods.)

By: Jeff Nolan

Jeff Nolan — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:18:27 +0000

Certainly, but on the economic front it's pretty clear that organic comes up short. Yields are lower and that's reflected at the POS. On the ecology front, I'd only ask that the actual science guide that debate and not the suppositions.

By: Jeff Nolan

Jeff Nolan — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:10:38 +0000

Thanks Marshall. I would agree with you that Monsanto in particular hasn't been an honest broker on the GMA front but to paint this entire field of science bad… in 2001 the EU released 81 studies on GMA, funded by the EU and not industry, that found zero credible evidence for adverse health effects from GMA. In, I believe, over 30 countries GMA is a mainstream technology with positive results and zero adverse effects. We're well past the point where unsubstantiated claims, as in lacking the science and research to back them up, can continue to hold up technology that is working. A 2005 study that examined pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide use in countries using GMA found a 15% reduction in the use of said chemicals while at the same time an increase in production. People interested in food supply issues all agree that a train wreck is coming as the world's population grows, land devoted to farming decreases, and food is increasingly used as fuel. All of these factors point to an absolute requirement to implement technologies that increase crop yields while at the same time reducing the environmental impact. Having said all this, I still buy organic much of the time. Hey I admit it that I'm a sucker for good marketing too!

By: Marshall Kirkpatrick

Marshall Kirkpatrick — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:59:29 +0000

Well, economic and ecological concerns are worth asking as well – are they not?