The “Scientific American” Articles on GMOs

Last updated on April 1, 2019

Last night I read the Scientific American article (Are Engineered Foods Evil?, by David H. Freedman), including the editorial (Science Agenda, by “the Editors”) at the front of the publication. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a print copy of the magazine.

I was prepared for the stance of Freedman’s article, as most tech or scientific articles will be PRO-biotech. What really surprised me was how discombobulated it was. The author shunned Seralini and his research on rats and tumors caused by GMOs, then later in the article seemed to give him some credit. Freedman compares “selective cross-breeding” with “DNA-insertion” as if they are the same thing, with DNA-insertion merely being a neater process. Cross-breeding and DNA-insertion are absolutely NOT  the same thing, and the author makes no attempt to explain the differences. This is a sloppy and confusing article.

Freedman claims that third world countries refuse genetically engineered crops and blindly follow Europe’s path of “No-GMO’s” — how about a more in-depth look at why Europe has decided they do not want genetically engineered foods? Compared to the U.S., Europe has been the voice of sanity in a world gone mad with genetic engineering.

But, truly, this article was unresearched. It is widely known that the FDA does NOT test the safety of GE foods; it relies on the biotech industries’ own testing or outsourcing. Furthermore, I would like to see Freedmans’ research on the decreased amount of pesticide usage due to GMOs; it’s the first time I’ve heard mention of that. This article seems unsubstantiated. I’ve done a great deal of research on the topic. Truly, I’d like to see Mr. Freedman’s.

In conclusion, I think it is of the utmost importance to continue with the quest for public GMO education and mandatory labeling. If we – and pro-active organizations in lieu of the federal government – do not continue to do the work that we are doing, the public will continue to be unaware of what they are eating. Actually, it isn’t merely what is IN the food we eat at this point, it is how our food has been tampered with at the genetic level. I, for one, believe this is a terrible thing. I believe it is our RIGHT to know precisely what we are eating, I think food should come from the earth and not a laboratory, and I think we should be told if it is otherwise. At that point, individuals are free to make their own decisions about what they take into their bodies.

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Eric Michielssenlink( ericm@pozoorganicfarm.com )