This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Genetic Changes

I was thinking some more about those strange additions to the vegetable
gene pool.  I heard that they added a protein to tomatoes and potatoes,
which is supposed to 'vaccinate' the consumer against cholera.  I find two
things wrong with this:  First of all, people need to be clean and treat
their water properly to avoid cholera.  I don't see why it would be easier
to genetically alter plants, then educate people to plant those certain
varieties and eat them, than it would be to teach them to respect
sanitation.  Proper hygenic measures also protect against many other
diseases besides cholera.  Granted, it would be too much to hope that a
refugee camp that suddenly appeared would have proper water treatment
available for all of their residents all the time, but it would be equally
unlikely that a stand of tomato vaccinaters would be nearby, or very easily
shipped in.

The second issue is this:  If you cross a horse and a donkey, you get
something different, so it has it's own name to identify it.  If one
genetically alters a tomato in such a way as to add materials to the
genetic structure that no amount of crossing tomatoes would ever have put
there, then one no longer has a tomato.  Perhaps having a new, distinct
name for the non-tomato would satisfy both those who want to grow and sell
it, and those who want to avoid eating it. I cannot imagine why it would be
important to trick people into eating something they do not wish to eat.  I
would think that the law of supply and demand would encourage producers not
to grow what consumers won't buy...and perhaps many WOULD like to buy it,
and could more easily to so if it were correctly identified.

It is only a matter of honesty.  If growers need to be deceptive to get
people to buy a product, why waste the effort?  Grow what people want and
they will make their sales.


Sheila Smith
mikecook@pipeline.com
Z 5/6
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index