Did you know that the FDA approved the first genetically modified apple variety recently? Although in the United States no FDA approval is required for GMO’s, some companies choose to undergo the process anyway {I guess to make people feel better?}. The apples, named Arctic Granny, don’t brown when sliced…ever. The gene responsible for apples browning {oxidation} has been removed.
While apples that don’t brown seem cool in theory, I am not a fan of genetically engineered anything. I just don’t trust that they are one, safe, and two completely without environmental impact.
Since I read about the apples, I’ve been singing, “I don’t care about spots on my apples, leave me the birds and the bees. Oh, oh, don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what we’ve got ’til it’s gone…” over and over in my head. The general sentiment being that I hope 20 years from now, we don’t regret messing with the fine tuning nature has inherently provided.
Now, before you go boycotting apples, consider this: according to CNN.com, these sorts of foods already exist. Genetically modified potatoes that don’t brown after cutting hit the grocery stores last year. And, chances are, unless you can afford to buy everything organic, you consume some GMO foods. Most corn and soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, and since they are in about every pre-packaged food imaginable, you likely have had some.
While I know I can’t control every single thing I put into my mouth without driving myself bonkers, I wish we could cast our vote against GMO apples, potatoes, etc. by not putting them our my carts {money talks sort of power}, but even that is near impossible–as most states do not require GMO foods be labeled.
Rather than go on and on, I thought it might be more interesting to get your comments…make a case for or against non-browning apples…I want to know what you think.
~Mavis
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Caroline says
AGAINST! I’m against anything genetically modified in my food. You’re right – you can’t get away from it unless you can afford to eat 100% organic, but I believe we have the right to know what’s in our food so I support labeling. The only reason it hasn’t passed yet is the amount of money thrown at the vote by the pro-GMO crowd. They know once labeling is required, people will try to quit eating their poison…
Marivene says
Against. Yet another excellent reason to plant a few apple trees, & grow my own. Tha t way I know what is in them, & there are no recalls.
Rita Kerr says
Mavis, I HATE the idea of GMO apples or any other GMO foods. My husband and I buy primarily organic or grow our own. It really makes our food bill horrendous, but I don’t like the consequences. I live with an autoimmune disorder and I don’t want to get worse from eating GMO products. I am especially concerned for you and your young family and my children and grandchildren. Knowing you and they have many more years ahead of them and we don’t know the long-term consequences of GMO foods. My youngest daughter is very good about buying organic, and for this I am so thankful.
Jen says
Against for sure! But I’m wondering if maybe it will be easier to avoid GMO apples, even when not labeled as such, since apples are one of the few produce items that are labeled by variety. If I just don’t buy Arctic Granny variety, then does that mean I can safely assume that the other varieties of apples remain non-GMO? Not sure if that’s accurate or not… (Although I try to buy apples organic anyway, since they’re on the dirty dozen and my little guy eats a lot of them.)
Mavis says
I’m not sure either. I do know they’ve identified this variety, but I don’t think Granny Smith growers would have to identify them as modified if they up and decide to grow a modified Granny Smith apple {not saying they do or ever have plans to, just an example}. The laws right now don’t require it.
Jennifer E. says
I think GMO’s are bad for everybody. I know that my family consumes them. You are correct, they are in EVERYTHING! I have an acquaintance who is a scientist for Monsanto developing these types of plants. I was told to get over it, they are everywhere. That mindset still doesn’t make it right. I cannot afford to buy everything organic. I can, however, plant a garden, can what I grow, and try my best to make a difference. We stopped treating our lawn several years ago when I had to self pollinate my zucchini plants. That was my breaking point! lol. We now do everything we can to draw the bees in, including buying organic, non GMO seeds. That I CAN do!!!! Thanks Mavis for always keeping us on our toes about these things.
karen says
Absolutely NO! Good grief. Why do we “need” this? Cut an apple and eat it in a reasonable amount of time and it won’t be brown. This is just ridiculous.
Thanks, Mavis, for this information. I was not aware of this but will avoid Arctic Granny like the plague.
Cathrine says
I am for all GMO crops. GMO crops have not been proven to be harmful in any way. Also, being from a country who’s economic state is on the decline and having seen poverty in the worst way, I think that GMO foods are the miracle this planet needs.
GMO foods have been around since humans began planting food. Selecting seeds from a plant because of certain traits is genetically modifying the plants that follow because you chose how the plant species will develop in the future; you don’t need a lab to do this.
Take your very cute dog, Lucy, as an example. When the pug breed started off, they looked way different than they do now. The pugs with the more desirable traits were used for breeding and so the dog breed was genetically modified into what it is today.
GMO foods are not a curse, they are a blessing. Don’t kill the market, don’t stop the research.
Brian says
Good for you Catherine for having an alternative point of view! I agree that, to some degree, genetically modified crops have been around forever and some of these variations are great. Lots of the apples we already have that do brown are hybrids of other apples, and I like them a lot! That being said, I’m not for all forms of GM foods. I’m certainly leery when it comes to the corn that absorbs pesticides to kill bugs and also is expected not to have ANY effect on humans.
Leslie says
This might be considered splitting hairs, but the round-up ready crops don’t “absorb” pesticide. It’s sprayed over the foliage, before fruit forms. Round up is only effective as an overspray, and even then, only if it’s on the foliage of the plans. Except for bamboo- it can’t touch bamboo unless you get it inside the hollow canes.
Kristina says
Ha, here’s splitting that split hair — roundup only works on grasses, not broadleaf plants, which is why GM corn was developed, as corn is itself a grass. You never spray anything directly on a crop plant on purpose, but a systemic chemical like roundup kills any grass which gets even a little on it. Now, bamboo is technically a grass, but is sort of nuclear-proof from my experience. If we could just harness *that* toughness, we’d really be onto something!
Susanna says
Hi Cathrine
Selective breeding is completely different than genetic engineering in a science lab, the two cannot be logically compared.
tc says
You have to be kidding Catherine
Whenever the government interferes with nature we are in trouble, I don’t trust them or Monsanto one little bit.
FOLLOW THE MONEY, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY TO THE 1%, grow your own, eat organic stop drinking the cool aid the government doles out.
Mavis is right, what is wrong with an apple that browns.
Leslie says
I don’t think Catherine has to be kidding- she’s entitled to her opinion of course, and Mavis asked for them to be shared. Saying bye to all GMOs would mean saying goodbye to lots of things we use constantly (bye cotton, bye papayas).
Accusations about 1% stuff aside, I like your and Mavis’ point about voting with the almighty dollar. That’s the language politicians understand and will listen to. We as consumers vote every day!
Cathrine says
Hi TC.
I’m quite sure that in my country the government has nothing to do with the GMO foods (thank goodness). My husband and I grow our own garden; not to avoid GMO’s (the seeds have been modified anyway), but because it’s fun. Many highly qualified people have published independent research articles indicating that GMO foods have no ill effect on humans.
You can believe what you want to believe, but be careful of that organic cool aid. Science is a powerful thing that not everyone understands; and we fear that which we don’t understand. I’m not saying anyone is right or wrong here, but search a few credited articles (not the ones saying “10 reasons you shouldn’t eat GMO’s”) and try reading them from an unbiased perspective.
Susanna says
There are documented cases of Monsanto officials trying to bribe scientists, and government officials, as well as the questionable jumping back & forth of Michael Taylor between roles at the FDA & Monsanto. He is the creator of the FDA’s substantial equivalence policy, which is used to justify no safety testing and no labeling of GMOs.
These are reasons enough for me to be wary, and I vote with my dollars accordingly.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4153635.stm
Leslie says
And bribes can be for all sorts of things- shady business dealings doesn’t equate to toxicity in produce.
Cecily says
Depends on what the genetic modification is for. If the plant/animal is genetically modified to mature earlier or resist drought conditions so that people have the ability to grow/raise food in environments that are less than hospitable and so stave of starvation, then yes I’m for those GMOs. However, I am not for genetically modified plants that resist pesticides/herbicides so that an entire field can be “chemically treated” because a grower is too lazy to take up a hoe, use a more labor intensive method of pest removal or rotate their crops. And if you don’t want your apples to brown there is an amazing anti oxidizing agent out there. It’s called lemon juice.
Leslie says
Industrial organic farming also utilizes overspray as a method for applying fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. I’m not sure if “lazy” is the right word, but I’m not crazy about knowing thousands of gallons of anything besides water are getting dumped into the ecosystem.
Lisa Millar says
I am not keen at all on GM foods. I am very happy our state bans GM foods (Plants and animals) and Australia in general has a board to approve any GM foods that are available here. Time will tell how effective that was/is
Its such a huge field with potential for good and evil… but just researching it is a huge task and sorting the rumours from truth.
I don’t see the point in going to all the effort of creating a non-browning apple… peel it, eat it or cook it. We have survived up to now coping with browning apples…
🙂
Cheryl says
I too live with an auto immune disease, two of them actually. When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I ate like everyone else on the planet. I drank pop, fast food, fried this and that, lot of bread, processed stuff, water was a foreign word, etc. I changed my diet, got rid of all the fast food, no pop, drink water against my will now and completely stopped eating processed anything…which sucks as I now have to cook. I also went exclusively to organic. It made a huge, huge difference in my digestion. So I don’t want GMO’s in my system as it is precariously balanced now. And I especially do not want any of the chemicals sprayed on my food. I also feed my dogs organic and each time there is a recall or dying dogs, I thank God once again that they don’t eat the junk. And yes, it is expensive. But so is the doctor, the prescriptions and missing work when I have flare ups.
Unfortunately, I do not believe the talking heads. They can tell me that the chemicals are safe for consumption, but I can spray the same chemical on a plant and watch it die instantly…so just because I am told it is safe or approved by the FDA. No, I am not willing to risk it with my own health.
Betty D says
Im against GMO also but feel we’re over flowing with it now. Several yrs ago some people were
talking about a issue they heard and I was so baffled….scientist were modifying a rice with human
genes….and Im why in the world do we need such? It just boggles my mind. These are just some of
the things we hear….think we’d be shocked if we really knew. ..I try and avoid as much as I
can get by with on the GMO’S.
Katie - PhD in Plant Molecular Biology says
As a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology I can assure that GMO crops have been around for a long time. In fact that majority of corn and soybean that you consume has been genetically modified for a while now (Bt-corn as been out for well over 30 yrs now). Many tomato and potato products also contain GMOs as well. The reason that the GMO apple is just coming out is because of the long generation times fruit trees take to mature. You need many generations to get to an end product. This is why I will probably never see a GMO maple tree in my lifetime. Unfortunately, regardless of if you are for or against GMOs they are all around us and everywhere at the grocery store. If you are an advocate of GMO food labeling this means that 99% of the food in the grocery isles will have a GMO label on it, which is why it’s pointless to mandate GMO labeling. Especially since everything now-days has corn syrup or soy in the ingredients lists. I agree that more should be investigated on the *full* environmental and health impacts…….but given the amount of people on this Earth we need to produce enough to feed we need certain GMOs. Not to say that I’m not a fan of growing heirloom or organic. I am also not a fan of big Ag and Monsanto monopolizing the seed market. What it comes down to is GMOs have gotten a bad rap and I encourage you to look at some of the benefits that it has allowed us as a world population such as golden rice which aids populations with vitamin A deficiency. Now, I don’t really care about my apples browning so I’ll choose not to buy Artic Apples. I’m just sick of people making decisions about GMOs without reading the data and talking to scientists. There are some great people that you can talk to at colleges and extension offices that are willing to discuss the pros and cons as well as scientific papers you can read…..just stop perpetuating the social media opinion frenzy.
Cecily says
Thank you Katie for your expert insight. I also feel that much of the so called information out there on GM products is hyperbole created by those with a stake in the organic food market who know that many people will believe anything they read online that casts big Ag or the federal government in a bad light. To those who think it’s all about the money, that goes both ways.
Cathrine says
Thank you, Katie. You’ve summed up exactly how we should be treating this whole GMO issue.
Debbie says
I am against G.M.O foods and plants – we have no idea what these changes will end up being. I have read G.M.O plants have resulted in super weeds!
I urge everyone to read labels even the small print. Know what you are eating, where it comes from and how its grown. There are advocacy groups you can join that let you know when there are any bills pending for or against G.M.O. foods so that you can email your congressmen to voice your concerns – not a bad idea.
Lastly all this makes a great case for buying as much as you can locally and knowing your food source.
Kim says
AGAINST! I don’t trust GMO anything. I want to know exactly what I am eating and feeding to my family. I have a garden every year and since we don’t have much space, have starting buying dwarf fruit trees and berry bushes too.
Renay says
Not a fan of GMO foods. We tried here in Washington to pass a law to JUST LABEL with GMO. Didn’t pass. Didn’t pass in Oregon either. Two, let’s face it, rather liberal leaning states. Can’t figure that one out. What I do know is that food has to be labeled with all kinds of things, but not this? An obvious ingredient? Just shows you the power of the chemical and food production companies have over the FDA – which is (another) pretty useless and obviously corrupt government department. Stepping down from the soapbox now. LOL
Nanci Fitschen says
I am dead set against GMO’s. I believe it is the reason that babies are being born with cancer and so many other people getting it. The big shots in these companies should go sit in a cancer center for a day. The amount of people that go through them is mind boggling. As you sit there and look at people you know some of them aren’t doing very well. It’s hard sitting there with a loved one who farmed and used the sprays that are horrible that are most likely the cause of his cancer. We have a neighbor with beef cattle that will no longer eat the corn stalks. Even the cattle are smarter than we are. That should tell us something!
Angie W says
Against. I think that genetic modification is about greed – no concern for the health of the individuals consuming them.
Diana says
Against GMO. I choose for my family organic & gmo free, as much as possible. Yes it’s more expensive and more work in the kitchen, but I feel passionately about this. There are many scientists (geneticists & researchers & oncologists) I know that will NOT put gmo’s in their body. This limits some places we can eat out. That’s fine, I will support the small businesses and stores that share my views & interests!
World hunger is a very real problem that deserves attention. But just because food is developed around the world with GMOs doesn’t mean I will buy it.
There are obesity, cancer, endocrine issues, infertility, auto-immune issues that I question … Are they proven to be cause by gmo’s or has it been thoroughly proven that gmo’s DO NOT CAUSE these issues?
Plant scientists thanks for doing a great job! I appreciate you… But you don’t see the end results in people that others do…
Katie says
There has been some interesting research lately on how being vegan or vegetarian not only affects menstrual cycle but proper sperm development and viability. It appears that the strict vegetarian diet could be causing some of the increased infertility that we see today given the fact that many more people are choosing that lifestyle. Additionally, new research shows that some stabilizers and emulsifiers that are used in food products could be contributing to obesity……and I know you are not the one to say that GMOs are to blame for cancer, but I want to mention that cancer has been around much longer than GMOs. I think we need to take a harder look at the chemicals that are used in our food products as well as the pesticides and herbicides that are used on our food in the farming industry and just because it is an ‘organic’ fertilizer or pesticide doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as nasty as a synthetic one. Where do you think the synthetic ones are made from or discovered…in nature. If growing a GMO plant allows me to not spray an organic chemical on my plants and helps the population of bees and bats that pollinate than I think I just might choose the GMO. Just some more food for thought in this discussion.
Cathrine says
Fun statistics… South Africa is one of the very few countries in the world who’s staple food is a GMO product. South Africa falls below the top 50 countries in the world with the highest cancer rates.
Claire says
Agree 100% with Cathrine and Katie. There is so much misinformation out there, though, so it’s no wonder people are confused. My rule is not to believe any study (or at least to be skeptical of) that is not peer-reviewed. Also, need to pay attention to the source’s background/training. Everyone claims to be an expert these days!
Lisa says
I recently watched a very informative and interesting short video on GMOs. I learned a lot from it. My views aren’t totally set on the issue yet but the woman has some very convincing points!
http://youtu.be/aA4I-WRu_s0