We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products

Re:We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products by nitrogen on Monday November 07, 2016 @08:19PM (#12896826)

Sure, but the label tells us nothing unless it identifies the particular strain(s) that have been modified. Simple "GMO" vs. "non-GMO" labels are anti-informative. They have net negative utility as they don't tell us whether something is safe or dangerous, they just muddy a discussion that could be perfectly clear.

IMO anti-GMO advocates should be pushing for more specific strain/cultivar labels on food, not just a useless label that says "produced with genetic engineering." Then pro-GMO, tentatively accepting, and anti-GMO groups can all be satisfied.

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Re:We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products by Kalium on Monday November 07, 2016 @08:24PM (#12896855)

I submit that the "GMO"/"GMO-free" labeling serves precisely the intended purpose. If you believe that all GMOs are unsafe and evil, then what more could people possibly need to know?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products by nitrogen on Monday November 07, 2016 @08:31PM (#12896884)

But it's rationally unsound and unscientific to argue that all GMOs are unsafe and evil. So if anti-GMO people want to stop people from eating/producing GMOs, they should find less opposition to specific labeling than to generic labeling. Otherwise it's too easy to paint them as uninformed.

I think you're right that the intended purpose of generic GMO labels is to muddy the issue and spread uncertainty, which is exactly what they do. I am arguing that this strategy is counterproductive in the long-term, both to the anti-GMO cause and to society's health and informational well-being.

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Re:We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products by flukus on Monday November 07, 2016 @09:15PM (#12897059)

99.9% of consumers would have no idea what to do with that information and most products would contain several strains of each ingredient anyway.

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Re:We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products by Kalium on Monday November 07, 2016 @09:25PM (#12897113)

99.9% of consumers don't know what to do with current ingredient lists except be vaguely confused by the long list of scary-sounding chemicals. We should probably still keep those.

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Re:We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products by Retric on Tuesday November 08, 2016 @10:30AM (#12900983)

Those ingredient lists are often used by people with allergies. So, they are useful to a wide swath of people.

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