Genetically Modified Food Issues - Educational Video Part 2

Fed Up! Genetic Engineering, Industrial Agriculture, and Sustainable Alternatives. About 70% of the food we eat contains genetically modified ingredients and is not labeled. The biotechnology industry is spending $50 million a year to convince us that this technology is our only hope for feeding the world and saving the environment. Family farmers are disappearing at an astonishing rate as people continue to go hungry both here and abroad. Using hilarious and disturbing archival footage and featuring interviews with farmers, scientists, government officials and activists, FED UP! presents an entertaining, informative and compelling overview of our food production system from the Green Revolution to the Biotech Revolution and what we can do about it. An issue that has entered the mainstream media in a lot of countries (noticeably not really in the US) is Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food. A lot of food that we eat today contains genetically modified ingredients and usually without our knowledge. Supporters of this technology maintain that it ensures and sustains food security around the world as the population increases. As time goes on, the science behind genetic engineering is no doubt improving. Biotechnology could be the wave of the future and genetically modified foods could really provide alternatives to help increase food production. However, there is a growing wave of concern from citizens, farmers and scientists who question the way the research is currently being handled by a few large, profit-hungry corporations. That is, as well as scientific debates on the merits of genetically engineered food, there are equally, if not more important, debates on the socioeconomic ramifications of the way such science is marketed and used. Critics believe: The problem of food shortages is a political and economic problem. Food shortages and hunger are -- and will be -- experienced by the poorer nations. GE Food is an expensive technology that the farmers of the developing nations would not be able to afford easily. Patenting laws go against the poor around the world and allow biotech companies to benefit from patenting indigenous knowledge often without consent. This is a very young and untested technology and may not be the answer just yet. Crop uniformity, which the biotech firms are promoting, will reduce genetic diversity making them more vulnerable to disease and pests. This furthers the need for pesticides (often created by the same companies creating and promoting genetically engineered crops). Hence this leads to questions of the motives of corporations and countries who are using the plight of the developing world as a marketing strategy to gain acceptance of GE food as well as dependency upon it via intellectual property rights. That they are against any labeling or other precautionary steps and measures that states may wish to take is of paramount concern. The way in which we reach the answer to the question, "are GE foods safe?" is where a lot of the problem lies. A quick acceptance of GE foods without proper testing etc. could show corporate profitability to be very influential, while a thorough debate and sufficient public participation would ensure that real social and environmental concerns are in fact adhered to. And this pattern would probably indicate to us how other major issues in the future ought to be dealt with. There is also the issue of do we actually need genetically engineered food, given that agriculture in small biodiverse farms are actually very productive. Economics and politics at all levels, (international, national and local) have often prevented food from reaching hungry people, not a lack of production. These same causes have also created, or contributed to, a lot of poverty, which prevents people from being able to afford food in the first place. This section then, looks more into the political issues behind the emerging promotion of biotechnology and genetically modified or engineered foods. Producer: Angelo Sacerdote. Production Company: Wholesome Goodness Productions. Keywords: food; agriculture; genetically modified food; biotechnology. Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• genetic
• engineering
• biotechnology
• industrial
• agriculture
• sustainable
• alternatives
• biotech
• revolution
• organic
• farming
• USA

[ChoofMonster]

They are intentionally confusing "genetically modified" and "domesticated". Bananas, for example, were cross-pollinated to remove the seeds (domestication) as was cannabis; corn crossed with flounder genes is genetically modified, as are tomatoes designed to pass 25 MPH crash-barrier tests.

Even organic foods are often produced from GM seeds. Australia bans farming such foods, but imports are legal (at least they are labeled as such).

[rosaryfilms]

ChoofMonster, kevinr24 is correct. Organic foods are not produced from GM seeds.

[KVLai]

I think those in the Nature Conservation should direct their energy to conserve all the original species of plant & animal for food production from this point on. In case there is a mass crop failure all over the world because of GMO, they can reverse the disaster. If not we will be looking at a monster of our own creation destroying ourselves.

[Tranksdofuturo]

we sould take down monsanto!

[dianelap67]

FFUCCKYYOU YES WY NO I NO WE LIVE IN E WORLD THAT DOSE NOT NO WATT ITS DOING I NO FUCKYOU ANUNAKI

[markgg1]

If someone can point me to the scientific study showing a GM crop killing someone, then please do.

Not a video, or a blog, or a news report. A SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL ARTICLE.

[markgg1]

boring.

[mitomke]

Biotech people suck, damn lying sons of B*****ches, you eat the crap we dont want it in our food supply, if you want to eat like a pig dont force others to eat your trash. These people should be exterminated. If they dont build atom bombs they will find some way to destroy people and the ecosystem. They are nothing but greedy people who will go extinct and want to take as many people with them before they die. Irish lady is a liar, Indian lady is right on.

[mitomke]

Biotech people suck, damn lying sons of B*****ches, you eat the crap we dont want it in our food supply, if you want to eat like a pig dont force others to eat your trash. These people should be exterminated. If they dont build atom bombs they will find some way to destroy people and the ecosystem. They are nothing but greedy people who will go extinct and want to take as many people with them before they die.

[mitomke]

these people suck, damn lying sons of B*****ches, you eat the crap we dont want it in our food supply, if you want to eat like a pig dont force others to eat your trash

[selfresonator]

fuck food