Usually, I jam out to 106.9 Country Legends on the radio in my truck but in the mornings, on my way to work, I listen to the highly syndicated Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show. Every week or so they have a segment titled “Consumer Watch” and they talk about a few topics that consumers should be interested in – previous topics include cigarettes, a cell-phone in the car law etc. One morning the topic was GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) — this was around the time of Prop 37 in California — and I developed a stomach ache listening to the false information they were saying. They were basically giving their opinions but not backing them up with any fact and it was so frustrating.
So I did what any active advocate would do and I wrote them a letter. I have never heard back from them and if they addressed my concern during another Consumer Watch segment, I missed it. But here is my letter, because I believe that everyone should fully understand the capabilities that GMO provides us with in terms of food production and also the importance they play in the world’s hunger problems.
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time now and I am always laughing and truly enjoy the show. I donate to Kidd’s
Kids and have signed up for Friends with Benefits – in short, I’m a big fan.
frustrated with your analysis of anything to do with food that I have to change
the station. The latest incident happened just this morning when you were
discussing Prop 37 in California and how, if passed, all genetically modified
food (GM) would need to be labeled. You are right, this would be a huge
hindrance to food production companies, would increase every family’s grocery
bill and would put negative connotation on most food products at the grocery
store.
food. Genetically modified organisms revolutionized
food production and agriculture in the 60’s and 70’s. Norman Borlaug won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contributions to the “green revolution” which
had a tremendous impact on food production in underdeveloped countries in Asia
and Latin America. The green revolution (and Mr. Borlaug’s work) was focused on
the development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains like wheat and
aiding farmers in better management and use of technological advancements.
Without the work of Mr. Borlaug and other scientists of the green revolution,
over a billion people would have starved.
product was radiated or anything like that, it could be as simple as cross
breeding or using a gene mutation in a strain of corn to make the plant more
productive. For example, some variations of papayas have been genetically
modified to resist the ringspot virus – this was done by developing a breed
that is resistant to them. Hawaii, a big producer of papaya, almost had their
industry devastated by the virus however, since the new genetics were
discovered, their industry is successful. It’s important to point out that there
is still no method of production other than the genetically engineered papayas
that is resistant to the virus. Organic papayas (which are ridiculously
expensive, like every other kind of organic food), are not resistant to the
virus. Other GM foods are soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets and
squash. GMO versions of tomatoes, potatoes and rice have been created and
approved by the government but aren’t commercially available yet.
is essential with a population that is growing exponentially. If we don’t
accept and employ technology like GMO’s, it’s going to be pretty dang
impossible to feed 9 billion people in 2050.
blamed the obesity epidemic on genetically modified food. Americans are
overwhelmingly overweight because we have become increasingly lazy and
restaurants have increased their portion sizes dramatically. The fast food
industry is booming – it’s easier (and often, cheaper) to buy a meal off the
dollar menu than it is to buy fresh food or whole grains. America is one of the few countries in the world where it is more
expensive to buy fresh food than it is to buy processed food. Add into the
mix that low-income families can buy more food if they buy Cheetos and Pepsi
than they can if they buy juice and apples and you can see why so many
Americans are overweight.
– you have the opportunity to set the record straight on controversial issues
like this and hopefully you will be more responsible with the facts you are
representing. It would be nice if as much research went into Consumer Watch and
food issues as does the Showbiz Top 5.
antics.
Comments
5 responses to “The Importance of GMO’s and Writing Letters to the Editor”
Thank you for sharing.
GMOs can be such an interesting topic of discussion. It's always interesting to see how much people may or may not know about them. I'm glad you took the time to write in to the show, and I'm sorry to see you didn't hear anything back from them.
Fort Western – thank you for your comment! You too, Jeremy. It is frustrating to have them not reply or acknowledge it (that I know of) but at least now they are aware that they should try to be more responsible.
I think it is great that you spoke up…. There isn't always a response but at least you know you tried to do your part.
Thanks JP! I don't know if it resonated with anyone but at least I tried.