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Reporting
on GM foods:
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Vitamin A-rich Golden
Rice could save lives
(11/06/2000)
Genetically
modified foods have received some sour publicity of late. The industry
got some organic egg on its face last month, when GM corn, that
was approved only as animal feed, found its way into some taco shells,
tortillas and snack chips. But what if one genetically-modified
food could save hundreds of thousands of lives a year? That would
change some minds.
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Brazil's debate over
GM foods
(11/13/2000)
Delegates from
consumer organizations in 119 countries opened a conference in Dhurban,
South Africa, today. Near the top of their agenda is the controversy
over genetically modified food. Now, you may find that rather surprising,
considering the rather muted debate about genetically altered foods
in this country. But in much of the rest of the world, it is a hot
issue.
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The Agro-ecology of
GM foods
(11/20/2000)
The Green Revolution
in agriculture, which began in the 1940's and hit full swing in
the 1960's, employed specific techniques: focusing on a few key
crops, and heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Those
techniques successfully averted mass starvation a generation ago.
But now, green revolution practices are threatening the food supply
for future generations. One of the promises of genetically modified
food is that it helps minimize the need for pesticides and fertilizers,
and may help reduce the threat to future food supplies. But opponents
of GM food say that solution poses more problems than it solves.
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Biopiracy
(12/4/2000)
Proponents of
genetically modified food say its advantages are decreased use of
pesticides and herbicides, higher yields, and more uniform crops.
Detractors -- and there are many -- say the potential health and
environmental risks outweigh those benefits. But GM technology is
not just a debate about science. It's about money -- big money.
GM foods could be the cash cow that oil is for the companies that
succeed. And success in genetic modification means holding the patents
on the modified foods, which are considered new inventions. But
while the final product may be a new invention, the original plant
or animal the genes come from is not -- a blurry distinction that
gets stickier when international borders are crossed in the process.
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