# Is GMO/GE food actually harmful or "bad"? What about treated foods? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2017, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817 "2017-06-25T10:19:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/21 "2017-06-25T21:39:41Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > There is a solution–at least a better solution than burying it–to the nuclear waste problem. It is called a traveling wave reactor. It produces a lot more energy for a given charge of uranium than the standard models and can use current nuclear waste as a charge. It produces some waste but it is relatively short-lived with half-lives in decades. The main problem is starting over. But I am in total agreement with the rest of your post. Isn’t that the technology that Bill Gates was promoting in recent years? Is that all just talk at this point? Any plans to put it into action? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/22 "2017-06-25T22:04:27Z")
Question: in the context of this post, what does “treated foods” mean? (We all know there are problems with “processed” foods – too much salt, vitamin loss, etc. But that isn’t what is meant, is it?) ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/23 "2017-06-25T22:55:00Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Professional geneticist here. There are a few ways of answering this: > > First and foremost, there is exactly ZERO evidence that any GMO has harmed a single human being’s health in any way whatsoever ever at all. There are some legitimate discussions, debates, and arguments to be had surrounding the use of GMOs, but (so far), impact on the health of consumers is not one of them. > > Based on the understanding of the basic science involved, you’d almost have to go deliberately out of your way to design a GMO to be harmful, and (again, so far), no one has decided to do that. The chances we’re making are insanely minor, and well within the range of natural variation we’re exposed to with every bite of food we take. > > Now, there are some related concerns regarding things like business practices and pesticide use and hybridization to wild related plant species that should be taken seriously, but the fearmongering around “Frankenfoods” is just utter nonsense. I absolutely agree with your post, although I am not a geneticist I want to clarify on the last paragraphs mention o pesticides. GMO foods have the potential of being actually safer for consumers, workers and the environment than even Organic foods. The “Organic” label really has no relation to safety, it only indicates that the substances used are naturally occurring. > [@](#): > > Organic producers rely on **natural** substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible. As _natural_ is in no way related or connected to safety this comparison is absolutely invalid. In fact some of the most commonly used pesticides in organic farming have far more significant environmental and health impacts. One example is Rotenone, which is also used to kill fish has a demonstrated link to Parkinson’s disease in farm workers. > **[Rotenone, paraquat, and Parkinson's disease - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21269927/)** > > PD was positively associated with two groups of pesticides defined by mechanisms implicated experimentally-those that impair mitochondrial function and those that increase oxidative stress-supporting a role for these mechanisms in PD pathophysiology. Unfortunately for us consumers labels like _organic_ are best thought of as being similar to a kosher mark. It is a branding effort to market products at a particular market segment that holds a particular world view. To be clear I am not arguing against that labeling in this post, but stating that for those who do not ascribe to those world views, but that those who are more interested in gauging real risks there is a complete lack of transparency. As consumers we really lack any mechanism to judge safety or impact at the point of sale. While anecdotal, I have tried to have conversations about this with friends. Some do subscribe to a naturalist viewpoint in their world view, but the majority (self-selection bias warning) I talk to assume that there is a documented, real safety advantage for themselves, their family, farm workers and environments. If this is the reason for the original poster posing the question I would caution that the implications of ‘organic’ does not directly map to your concerns. Also note that Many organic products on the market have been developed with chemical and nuclear mutagenesis. And the nuclear version is very different than irradiation but would in theory provide a higher risk compared to GMOs as the mutations are purely random. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/24 "2017-06-25T23:21:51Z")
As others have pointed out, GMO food is safe. The entire situation is created by gullible people who are easily swayed by their political arena. It’s akin to those otherwise healthy people who won’t eat gluten besides not having celiac disease, because a friend of theirs said its bad. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/25 "2017-06-25T23:55:17Z")
I tend to go out of my way\* to avoid foods that proclaim “GMO-free” because they seem to use that as a reason to charge me more money. \*Not too far out of my way, though. If it’s the only option, I’m not going to waste my time going someplace else. Irradiated food? Where is that available? I remember reading about it years and years ago, but it was my understanding then that it would never be used because of silly objectionists. If it’s in use today, then bravo! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/26 "2017-06-26T00:02:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Trinopus** : > > On the average, taken all with all, yes. But the dangers have a kind of statistical spike in them, with very low probability, very high damage. Sure, but the risks for coal plants [have those spikes, too](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_Fossil_Plant_coal_fly_ash_slurry_spill). And the thing with organic food is that you’ll see a lot of people saying things like “I buy organic food because I oppose cruel treatment of animals”. Except that organic has nothing at all to do with how humanely animals are treated. You can have cruel organic food, or humane non-organic, just as easily as humane organic or cruel non-organic. Say what you actually mean. If you oppose cruelty to animals, then buy cruelty-free food. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/27 "2017-06-26T01:25:05Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > Generally GMO and nuclear power make the left act irrationally, just like the list of topics that make the right act irrationally. They would lose their shit if they knew that a lot of “conventional” produce is bred using radiation to induce mutations in plants, and then growing the resulting seeds to see what happens. If it turns out to be handy, they cultivate them. Several sorts of popular produce has been produced this way- for example, Rio Red and Star Ruby graperfuits, Calrose rice, Golden Promise barley (used in the UK for beer and whisky), etc… To me, that seems a LOT more haphazard than deliberately inserting specific genetic material into a plant’s genome for a specific purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/28 "2017-06-26T02:56:58Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Irradiated food? Where is that available? I remember reading about it years and years ago, but it was my understanding then that it would never be used because of silly objectionists. If it’s in use today, then bravo! A lot, something like 1/2 to 3/4, of dried herbs are irradiated to prevent spoilage and contamination. So if you buy those little jars of spices at the grocery store you’ve almost certainly had some irradiated food. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/29 "2017-06-26T04:17:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And opposition to nuclear power and GMOs seem to cross party lines. While there are certainly liberals (and too many of them) who oppose both, there are also conservatives who oppose them (though not necessarily for the same reasons). Certainly so. In my circles, the anti-GMO folks are predominantly right wing, not left. Don’t know so much about the nuclear power, as I don’t hear about that often. I’m fine with both. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/30 "2017-06-26T05:17:38Z")
I agree, I also see it with right wingers as left wingers. I suppose it is for different purposes. Maybe for the left its for being closer to nature, the right worrying that it may compromise their safety. Who knows. I too am fine with both. I think Nuclear power should be admired by both. Its clean, and it saves money. The GMO thing should follow the same, it allows more people to eat and live on hardier plants, and saves money (supply and demand, growing crops that are harder to fail). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/31 "2017-06-26T05:47:37Z")
> [@XT](#): > > A video from SciShow on [Why are GMO’s Bad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH4bi60alZU). It goes into some details on what GMO’s are and how they are used. > > Their conclusion…they aren’t, not intrinsically. As with everything, you could use them for good or evil. I agree, but I think it’s important to note the category of ‘evil’ that would be at play here; It’s not so likely to be the Bond Villain Dr Evil cackling maniac type of evil. That’s fairly rare. it’s more likely to be the banal evil of profit motive ignoring externalities - the same kind of evil that deals with disposal of hazardous waste by shipping it to developing countries for their children to pick over in landfills, or the same kind of evil that concludes it’s _cheaper, therefore better_, to clad high rise buildings with flammable plastic. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/32 "2017-06-26T14:25:55Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > There’s a pretty good range between “modifying” an organism’s genetics by more or less speeding up what would otherwise be a (potentially) naturally-occurring intraspecies recombination of genetic information, and modifying it by re-engineering its genome using techniques that introduce foreign-species genetic information–or even genetic information which is itself engineered from scratch. > > The former seems a lot “safer” than the latter… Why would randomly making changes to an organism’s genome “seem” safer than taking a known characteristic, inserting that, and then knowing what to look for in the testing of it? ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/33 "2017-06-26T14:28:24Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I’ve seen chemtrails myself. I assure you that they are vastly different from contrails. Most people just aren’t observant enough to notice them. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Me too. It was a crop duster. I don’t think he was talking about a crop duster, since he said that most people aren’t observant enough to notice the difference between that and a contrail. There are probably very few people who wouldn’t notice THAT difference. So Flyer, tell us more! What have you seen that’s vastly different from contrails, which most people aren’t observant enough to notice the difference? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/34 "2017-06-26T19:42:54Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Why would randomly making changes to an organism’s genome “seem” safer than taking a known characteristic, inserting that, and then knowing what to look for in the testing of it? I got it backwards… I meant to say that the genetic engineering is a lot less haphazard than irradiating plants and seeing what happens. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/35 "2017-06-26T21:41:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Certainly so. In my circles, the anti-GMO folks are predominantly right wing, not left. Those are some unusual circles you move in. Perhaps they are crop circles? > [@Mangetout](#): > > I think it’s important to note the category of ‘evil’ that would be at play here; It’s not so likely to be the Bond Villain Dr Evil cackling maniac type of evil. That’s fairly rare. it’s more likely to be the banal evil of profit motive ignoring externalities - the same kind of evil that deals with disposal of hazardous waste by shipping it to developing countries for their children to pick over in landfills, or the same kind of evil that concludes it’s cheaper, therefore better, to clad high rise buildings with flammable plastic. Darn you, Monsanto!!! :mad: I remain mystified at the banality of GMO Evil that encompasses many thousands of scientists as well as employees of food companies, Monsanto and myriad other corporations, not to mention politicians, think tank members, random Internet posters\* - all heedlessly promoting and selling technology that they realize will sicken and kill them and their families. Hardly seems banal at all, hmmm? \*at least we’re enjoying a bounty of $hill Bucks and orgitastic parties before we croak of GMO Diseases. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/36 "2017-06-26T22:43:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Those are some unusual circles you move in. Perhaps they are crop circles? _shrug_ Don’t know what to tell you, but that’s the case. My folks and extended family, especially, and their friends are very much Republican, and are “natural cure” type people, tend towards anti-vaxxing, and are very much anti-GMO; very much the type of people that Kevin Trudeau and his “Natural Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About” cater to. This is hardly a partisan position, in my experience. I have a few on the left that have similar resrvations, but the majority of the anti-GMO folks I know are on the right, not left. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/37 "2017-06-26T22:51:21Z")
Basically, for them it’s all part of the chemtrail/fluoride in the drinking water type of nuttery. The people who take the “Coast to Coast AM” program on radio seriously, not as an amusing diversion. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/38 "2017-06-26T23:40:54Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > I agree, I also see it with right wingers as left wingers. I suppose it is for different purposes. > > Maybe for the left its for being closer to nature, the right worrying that it may compromise their safety. Who knows. I too am fine with both. I think Nuclear power should be admired by both. Its clean, and it saves money. The GMO thing should follow the same, it allows more people to eat and live on hardier plants, and saves money (supply and demand, growing crops that are harder to fail). I’m also in favor of nuclear power and GMOs but before you get so hung up on the left as getting the blame here, I have looked at this issue in many past discussions, in essence there are several liberals in government that were in favor of nuclear power and Obama also did help directly on the continuation of the few nuclear power being build now. As for the rank and file… while one can find a good number of leftists being against GMOs or Nuclear power the reality is that there is a very significant number of right wing conservatives that are also opposed to them. And then one should ad that when one looks at a country like France that did successfully employ nuclear power for most of its needs, the way they did it looks not just liberal but socialist too. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20159242&postcount=122](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20159242&postcount=122) I just can not picture the current congress to be willing to do any of those things. Even though very right wing states like Arizona did talk about things like making a nuclear dump facility since other states are not willing to do it. Unfortunately, after talk about that waste facility, now there is just silence. Regarding the GMO issue I also noticed that anti GMO groups actually boasted about the high number of conservatives that also support their reprehensible opposition to the technology. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2017, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/39 "2017-06-27T12:49:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > _shrug_ Don’t know what to tell you, but that’s the case. My folks and extended family, especially, and their friends are very much Republican, and are “natural cure” type people, tend towards anti-vaxxing, and are very much anti-GMO; very much the type of people that Kevin Trudeau and his “Natural Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About” cater to. This is hardly a partisan position, in my experience. I have a few on the left that have similar resrvations, but the majority of the anti-GMO folks I know are on the right, not left. Actually, if you check [polling data](http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/12/01/the-new-food-fights/), attitudes towards GM foods are not greatly different when left/right or Democratic/Republican affiliation are considered. The big difference is in leaders of the anti-GMO movement, who tend by a considerable margin to be left of center. Just look at who’s pushed mandatory labeling laws. > **[Are Democrats the Party of Science? Not Really.](https://newrepublic.com/article/139700/democrats-party-science-not-really)** > > Until liberals truly embrace the spirit of scientific inquiry, they'll never gain the upper hand in the policy debates of the Trump era. - I consider it false equivalency to suggest that (for instance) Democrats have as big an anti-science problem as Republicans. The GOP has a lot more to answer for - but that doesn’t mean that Dems/the left can be complacent about antiscience lunacy in their ranks. We need to demand better of our leaders. \*\*Antivax nuttery in my experience is a bi/multipartisan disease. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817/40 "2017-06-27T20:21:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I remain mystified at the banality of GMO Evil that encompasses many thousands of scientists as well as employees of food companies, Monsanto and myriad other corporations, not to mention politicians, think tank members, random Internet posters\* - all heedlessly promoting and selling technology that they realize will sicken and kill them and their families. > > Hardly seems banal at all, hmmm? Are you suggesting it won’t happen because of those things? I think we could probably find good examples of corporations happy to fuck people over in order to make a profit - outside of the GMO arena, most likely, but I’m fairly sure the phenomenon exists. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gmo-ge-food-actually-harmful-or-bad-what-about-treated-foods/789817.md?page=3)