[Sca-cooks] NOT OT: genetically engineereed foods

[Phlip]

> > now, if you cut a gene from that into other food..... it could KILL a
> > person who has NO warning that , say, a garlic gene was spliced into
> > the tomato to make it more resistant to some blight. (or whatever)
> > this is one reason why i say label ANYthing that has been modified
> > from the "expected norm".
>
> Do you have any cites for this?  My limited understanding of immunology
and
> genetic engineering makes me think this is extraordinarily unlikely.
>
> Not that I'm arguing against labeling, mind you.  More information = more
> better.
>
> -Lorenz

Well, I think many of you arte over reacting, from fear of a new thing,
rather than knowledge of the ramifications. Because a foodstuff shares a
particular gene with another foodstuff, it does not necessarily follow that
that gene is responsible for ANY of the proteins that the new foodstuff
produces, let alone the proteins that cause allergic reactions.

Similarly, for those that take exception, on behalf of those following
different dietarily restricted religions, to the addition of genes from one
(notably swine) being infused into another, let me remind you that  many of
the Jewish hairsplitters have determined that if some foodstuffs are
dismantled enough to become unrecognizable, then they may be added to other
foodstuffs, and those become Kosher, as long as the rest of the Laws obtain.
Considering that getting down to the genes of a second generation plant
means that MAYBE one portion of a small molecular structure may have
originally come from a pig or other non-allowed animal. That is smaller than
the amount ANY Kosher animal might acquire from merely breathing the air
that a treif animal might have breathed, or from drinking water that has
passed through every lifeform on this planet!!!!

This ecosystem of ours is far more tightly controlled, and intimately
connected, than many of you realize. If you're so concerned, do a SERIOUS
study of biological processes, and learn about what it is you most seriously
fear. Anecdotal evidence has its uses, but anecdotal evidence is also why
people went around killing cats and convicting little old ladies as witches.

Having said, that, I will address MY personal concern with the situation:

That it is felt expedient to keep this information secret.

On the one hand, I can see the big companies trying to avoid boycotts and
witch hunts, based on superstitious fear of the unknown, "What they don't
know won't hurt them". On the other hand, I can equally easily see that
they're hiding THEIR ignorance- and that's what scares me.


Saint Phlip,
CoDoLDS

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....