Looks like if you eat salmon it will now be genetically modified and you won't even know it. The photo above is a normal salmon and a GMO salmon!
Read and think:
1) Why did this get passed? Why did it take so long for it to pass compared to the US?
2) What are your thoughts on the issue? Does this set a precedent? What about the lack of labeling?
3) Can we avoid GMOs? How or why not?
4) Has science gone too far? Where will it go next?
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-aquabounty-salmon-genetically-modified-food-1.3589613
MARK THIS ONE: AquaBounty Technologies is the company that created the first genetically modified food animal approved for sale in Canada and the United States. Although Canada has just recently permitted the sale of GM fish, the United States have allowed this for over a year. After being submitted to the U.S. FDA, the advisory panel stated that it is "highly unlikely to cause any significant effects on the environment" and that it is "as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon" (FDA, 2010, para. 2). The certainty imposed by the FDA is greatly attributed for the rapid passing of the approval for sale. Although there was some opposal by government officials, a 2010 environmental study by the U.S. FDA persisted that the fish had little impact on the environment. After passing through the courts, GM salmon was permitted for sale on November 19, 2015.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it took longer for Canada to decide for a few reasons. Firstly, Environment Canada explained that the decision in the United States does not have an impact on Health Canada's review or decision-making process. Secondly, Environment Canada officials have stated that Canadian GM foods undergo "rigorous safety assessment” that are more complex than those in the United States. I also think that we have had slightly more opposal to this than the U.S. has had. I think that fish farmers in Canada are extremely concerned because they do not yet understand how this will affect them.
I have mixed thoughts on GM salmon. AquaBounty states that it would be beneficial for the environment because the salmon feed 75% less; therefore, reducing the product’s carbon footprint by up to 25 times. I also think that they pose other benefits such as reducing the need for pesticides, making crops/animals more resistant to drought, or allowing foods to be grown more quickly. I am also concerned with the effects of the GM salmon on the environment. I think that there is a real risk of mixing between the GM salmon and wild fish. I am concerned with the measures to prevent genetic mixing between fish and that genetic contamination will forever change the wild salmon.
I think that this sets a precedent for other GM foods and animals to be permitted into our country. I hope that - if this is beneficial - that we maintain standards for GM foods and that we don’t just let everything pass for the benefit of the economy. The lack of labelling upsets me because I feel that we have the right to know what we are eating. The lack of labels of these products causes concern because society might feel that we are not being told the truth about our food.
Avoiding GMOs is possible but can be quite time consuming. When shopping for food, you can avoid GMOs by buying organically and locally. You can also look for products with Non-GMO Project Seals. When the product is not clearly labeled, try to avoid at-risk ingredients such as sugar, dairy, etc. To simplify the process, there are several online guides to products that you can purchase that are GMO-free.
I think that science has not necessarily gone too far, but has gone too untested. I feel that we need to have longer spanning tests on new products so that we can ensure our and the environment’s safety. We do not truly know the impact of the GM salmon yet - which is quite concerning - but, hopefully, it will be beneficial for society.
Citations:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/17/canada-sued-genetically-modified-salmon-scheme-approval-environmental-groups
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/aquabounty-genetically-modified-salmon-1.3326064
I find it really interesting about how much less the salmon feed compared to regular salmon. A little bit shocking in comparison to the fact that they grow so much larger, so much faster.
DeleteI have mixed feelings about GM salmon as well, but i think that companies and grocery stores should label this new product with some sort of sticker letting people know that it is genetically modified. Usually im against GMOs but in this case, i like looking at it from a consumer standpoint where it could help reduce people's footprint.
DeleteI also have mixed feelings about GM salmon as well as GM anything else. I know there are lots of pros but it still feels wrong to me. Stickers to let people know is a great idea. We all have the right to choose and know what is going into our bodies.
DeleteMark this one.
ReplyDeleteAlthough some will dissagree with this opinion, I am not fully opposed to the use of GMO's in food. Although I agree that organic and locally grown products are the best for your health, I don't necessarily feel as though the gmo products are detrimental to your health. with the ongoing concerns about droughts and overpopulation, I believe the gmo route to be an excellent option in the future feeding of our global community. I do agree that the idea of genetically modified creatures can be a scary thought, but scientists need to look into the best way to feed our planet for health and the environment. Over fishing of the oceans is a huge problem environmentally, and this provides an option for safe fish without having to contribute to the over fishing issue. I think that avoiding gmo's is only going to become more and more difficult as the population continues to grow. With more and more people, we will need to use gmo's more and more commonly. MIT Technology Review states, "food demand, driven by the larger number of people and the growing appetites of wealthier populations, is expected to rise between 70 and 100 percent by midcentury." There are already massive problems with droughts and crops dying and just a lack of food being used. We are going to have to increase production drastically just to feed the people of the world, let alone the animal agriculture. Gmo's are inevitable to me. I think that this is the way of the future and the fact that Canada is doing such a phenomenal job of properly checking into these foods instead of simply passing them quickly is very good news indeed.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/522596/why-we-will-need-genetically-modified-foods
Toshas views are very interesting and I agree with her point. GM food is considered to be any type of food that is changed or bred to have better features. For instance corn farmers used to choose the biggest corn to replant so all other corns were large. Many GMOs don't have severe negative effects. However some do and it is difficult to find a healthy medium
DeleteI really like that Tosha mentioned over fishing. I read a fact the other day stating that we're going to have more plastic in the ocean than we will fish by 2050, and although personally i disagree with GMOs, maybe it could work out for the better for fish populations (bigger fish = more to eat = less sold).
DeleteI agree with Tosha as well. Obviously, local grown/organic food is the best option however some Genetically Modified Foods are not that bad. With so many natural disasters nowadays, GMOs are a way to consistently produce food for the global population.
DeleteI agree with Tosha. Thinking about eating GMOs does not sound appealing at first, but they are clearly not that bad for you if they are continuously producing them. Although i dont really think we need them in North America. The benefits i see from Gmos is that they produce alot and bigger food items. We have enough food as it is. But i do think developing nations could benefit greatly from them. With all the food shortages and problems with agriculture GMOs could potentially feed twice as many people as before
DeleteI agree with Tosha. Thinking about eating GMOs does not sound appealing at first, but they are clearly not that bad for you if they are continuously producing them. Although i dont really think we need them in North America. The benefits i see from Gmos is that they produce alot and bigger food items. We have enough food as it is. But i do think developing nations could benefit greatly from them. With all the food shortages and problems with agriculture GMOs could potentially feed twice as many people as before
DeleteI agree with Tosha on her stance on GMOs. Though genetically modified foods aren't as good for our bodies as organic and locally grown goods, often GMOs are cheaper and grow a more sustainable crop. Food lasts longer, serves more and therefore feeds more. In spite of this, I do believe that genetically modified foods should be labeled as such because everyone should have the individual right to choose what goes into their bodies.
DeleteI agree with Tosha on her stance on GMOs. Though genetically modified foods aren't as good for our bodies as organic and locally grown goods, often GMOs are cheaper and grow a more sustainable crop. Food lasts longer, serves more and therefore feeds more. In spite of this, I do believe that genetically modified foods should be labeled as such because everyone should have the individual right to choose what goes into their bodies.
DeleteI also agree, although GMO'S aren't peoples first choice, but they can be very beneficial for natural disasters, first world countries and even in North America. With all if the research done on them I don't think that if it was that harmful the public would be allowed to consume these products.
DeleteTosha's point is valid. As a dedicated organic fanatic I do disagree with the use of GMOs in food, although I support Tosha's view on the fact that GMOs might not just be used for bad. Due to our fast growing population scientists need to find a decent semi-harmless solution to create food to support that population.
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DeleteI agree with what Lindsay said. These fish are not harmful for our health and considering all the fish shortages as a result of overfishing, GMOs and fish farms will be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindsay that it would be beneficial. However, I believe that it should be labelled that they fish has been genetically modified.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindsay, with fish being the majority of the meat i eat, I am not worried about the genetic modifications. The fear of gm products is from lack or education on the topic and that's why it's so hard to pass laws without protestors.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Toshas point, while GMO food isn't considered the healthiest option it does help solve other issues when it comes to overpopulation and drought and does yeild a lot more product for the population than regular farming.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that this is beneficial but i also think that it should be mandatory for these products to be labelled.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tosha, to some degree. GMO's can be considerably more helpful in aiding some of our current issues, for example our growing population. Yet, I also believe that GMOs should be a last resort choice. I don't believe that they are as healthy as the article makes them out to be. In past years, scientists have been wrong about many things, whats not to say this is one of them. Another aspect is the labelling, I believe that depriving the public of this information, is against our rights. It is depriving a persons right to choose, and therefore it is wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere are always going to be advantages and disadvantages to things such as these. When I think about GMOs, what comes to mind are the longterm affects of what can happen. I agree that there are benefits, but what is that going to cost us.
ReplyDeleteMark this one:
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society, there are more and more unnatural foods that we are consuming on a daily bases. Most of these foods up to this point have been crops. The reason it took so long to pass in Canada is because of numerous scientific research procedures were carried out to ensure the nutritional value, and the safety of this food. Although many scientists declare GMO foods to be safe and healthy there is still lots of controversy over it. Before this could get passed, scientists needed to ensure the public was on their side, in order to promote the sale of GMO salmon in the future.
In my opinion, I am skeptical about the fact that there is still so much controversy as to what the scientists have stated about this product. If the science says it’s okay, then usually it means it’s okay, but because there are still so many who oppose this idea, it makes me wonder if the scientific tests conducted were accurate or altered in the company’s favor. The fact that it will not be labeled also upsets me, but not as much. I think to all the fruit and vegetable products that I eat on a daily bases, along with all the wheat products I consume in my lunch. I truly have no idea whether these products contain GMO’s or not. Already I am consuming products on the daily without knowing if it’s genetically modified. The Salmon will only add to this list.
With today’s population, and the way in which corporations work, I believe GMO’s are unavoidable. The best we would get is minimizing GMO’s, where corporations only hide the fact that their products are genetically modified. To maintain the constant flow of food, GMO’s are a necessity. When was the last memorable time you have gone to the grocery store to buy something that wasn’t there due to environmental problems? It’s hard to think about, because it is so rare due to the fact that GMO’s prevent environmental shifts that would normally kill the food in its natural state.
Considering GMO’s were made to increase the production of food for consumers, science has not gone too far on this topic. It will not be long before the use of GMO’s are integrated into livestock, and most of our other daily foods. I only hope that by that point the health problems caused by GMO’s are extremely minimized, or overcome in some way or another, making it safe for consumers to have on a daily bases. This will be hard to accomplish due to the fact that many inspections are constantly being overlooked or skipped all together in order to avoid extra production costs, or speed up the process of releasing the product. GMO’s are being used, and are probably not going to go away any time in the foreseeable future, we should try to minimize its harmful effects as much as possible.
My sources from the post:Mark this one
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-aquabounty-salmon-genetically-modified-food-1.3589613
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/gmo-debate-shows-big-opinion-gap-between-scientists-public-over-safety-1.3011371