# What's the danger of genetically modified foods?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/189133>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 17, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/189133 "2003-07-17T13:30:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/189133/41 "2003-07-21T18:46:16Z")

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Slight aside to those mentioning that Monsanto et all engineer their crops so that they don’t produce seeds:

A major worry of the anti-GM crowd is that GM plants will get mixed in with non-GM ones, and thus farmers trying to stay away from GM seed will have their efforts hampered. Isn’t this issue, along with minimizing mutation, the (advertised) reason for the crops not producing new seeds? To be honest, it sounds like the corporations just can’t win, on this issue.

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**Author:** ![bbart4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@bbart4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbart4)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/189133/42 "2003-07-21T22:32:23Z")

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This just came out today from the [BBC News](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3082657.stm) :

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> [The GM Science Review Panel] found no case for ruling out all GM crops in the UK and that the novel plants were unlikely to lead to the creation of “superweeds”. But it raised doubts about the effects the new crops could have on the wider environment - particularly wildlife.

Further in re. cross-pollination issue raised by critics the review panel found:

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> such organisms were “very unlikely to invade our countryside or become problematic plants”.

The chair of the panel, however, said:

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> "GM is not a homogenous technology on which scientists can make blanket assurances on safety.

In short, although GM crops present “low risk” for humans, there are still “gaps” and uncertainties in the knowledge about GM.

Does anybody have the link to the review, especially regarding the issue of possible decreasing varieties of crops and its effects?

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**Author:** ![Parkerz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Parkerz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parkerz)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/189133/43 "2003-07-22T00:26:27Z")

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Is there a way around the genetically modified foods? Unless you were to grow your own garden, and make sure none of your neighbors sprays, there isn’t really a way around it. Companys who tell you that there food is all “natural” are full of it. They are just ripping you off with food that is twice is much with the same stuff in it as regular food.

I say we just stop worrying about it.

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**Author:** ![Parkerz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Parkerz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parkerz)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-danger-of-genetically-modified-foods/189133/44 "2003-07-22T00:27:30Z")

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oops. But natural I mean no preservatives.

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