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And why you should meditate in the garden.
Dear Reader,
It’s Mythbusting Monday, and if there’s one thing Dot loves to do, it’s dust off some oft-heard opinions and determine whether they’re true, partly true, or false. Today, let’s consider the notion that genetically modified food is bad or unsafe to eat. It’s an unsurprising opinion. After all, something nicknamed “Frankenfood” must be bad for us, right? Monstrous even? But as Bluedot editor Leslie Garrett notes in this article, “What’s So Bad About … Genetic Modification,” most people in the U.S. have been consuming genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in some form since the mid-1990s. Thus far, safety doesn't appear to be a significant concern.
Nonetheless, people tend to be leery of genetically modified foods. No surprise — humans tend to fear anything new. Jon McPhetres, an assistant professor of psychology at the U.K.’s Durham University who studies why we sometimes reject science, notes that “the easiest message to convey to people is that, well, we’re tinkering around with things that we don’t fully understand, so how can we possibly know all of the consequences?” While McPhetres does think there are potential problems with GMOs, he told Garrett that “the one that people are scared about is the biological one, which I think is probably misguided.” He believes that people who understand the science of GMOs will, consequently, be less skeptical.
The fact is, GMO foods are well tested for safety. Government regulators worldwide require extensive laboratory and field testing before GMO crops reach the market — testing that is reportedly more rigorous than what conventional crops undergo.
That said, while GMO food is safe to eat, that doesn’t mean that the technology is harmless. There are legitimate concerns, including:
- Some GMO farming practices involve heavy use of pesticides like glyphosate (known commercially as Roundup), which has been linked to cancer — so the methods associated with certain GMO crops can carry health risks even if the genetic modification itself doesn't.
- Critics argue that GMOs primarily serve large agricultural corporations rather than public health, raising concerns about who controls the food supply. Even those who generally support the technology agree that it tends to consolidate control of our food system among a small number of producers who exaggerate its claims of “feeding the world.”
- Long-term environmental and social consequences of widespread GMO adoption aren't fully understood.
Genetic modification is a tool — neither inherently good nor bad — and the bigger issues lie in how it's used and who controls it, rather than whether it, in and of itself, will directly harm you. If you would prefer to avoid genetically modified foods, look for labels denoting GM ingredients. We can thank the folks who lobbied long and hard for labels for enabling us to make more informed choices.
Is genetically modified food unsafe to eat? Dot declares this a myth. (If you want to read a lot more of the nuances around GMOs, read “What’s So Bad About … Genetic Modification?”
Truthfully,
Dot
Yesterday was National Garden Meditation Day! Connect to all your senses and engage with nature with this garden mindfulness exercise.
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