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  • From: list@ginda.us
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] genetic engineering
  • Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 22:46:52 -0500

Thanks for your informed opinion. I have been leaning the same way. Basically, I think genetic engineering has a lot of promise, but I am appalled at the lack of regulatory oversight. Inserting fish genes into fruits might have benefits, but surely the product ought to be tested for safety before being mixed, unlabeled, into the general food supply.

And I simply can't buy the idea that it's too hard to keep, for instance, genetically modified soy separate from other soy. If we can keep track of dozens of grains and their variants, we can add some more variants. The problem is not that it's too expensive to keep track, the problem is that the price of the untested genetically engineered food drops too far if it can be identified as such.

Off my soapbox again,
Ginda

On Feb 10, 2004, at 8:25 PM, Art Petrzelka wrote:

I bought the story about curing all of mankind's ailments, too.

But the more I learn about genetic engineering, the less I like it.
I say this as someone who has spent part of my career in agriculture,
and part of my career in FDA validation. I have helped set standards for
internal validation efforts, and have been involved in cosmetic and
pharmaceutical validation.

The current crop of GMOs appear to have taken a shortcut across the
normal FDA validation process. They were unique enough that they got a
patent, but apparently not unique enough that food safety testing was
done. I don't see how it could be both. I attended a lecture at Iowa
State University by Dr. Arpad Puszta, from Great Britain, in December.
Dr. Puszta is the man whose research was destroyed and whose reputation
was slandered when his study on the nutritional effects of GM potatoes
showed necrosis in rodents.

It looks like we've been sold a bill of goods with genetic engineering.
I would be glad to share some references for what I've found off-list if
anyone is interested.

My main concern is that we not pollute our genetic resources. This isn't
a concern with Frankenfood, it's a concern about the lack of knowledge
that we have on the effects of gene insertion, gene removal, and general
DNA helix tampering with respect to helix sequence and angles. The
effects of genetic engineering are largely unknown, and what we do know
is very incriminating.

On Mon, 2004-02-09 at 21:57, Rodney Eveland wrote:
The people who genetically modify plants to get a desired result have
already developed a PPV resistant plum. Interestingly enough, if you
use google and search on a lot of common serious plant diseases and
add the word biotechnology to your search you will find that they are
trying to solve many of the major diseases by using genetc
modification. I don't know where this will take us, but I'm hoping for
--
Art Petrzelka
Amana, Iowa, USA
USDA Hardiness Zone 5a

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