Food Myths And Gmos

WELL AS THE WORLDS POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW FINDING FOOD SOURCES IS A PRIMARY CONCERN. THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE ARE ADVANCEMENTS BEING MADE IN PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY, ALLOWING MORE FOOD TO BE GROWN IN MORE PLACES USING FEWER CHEMICALS AND FEWER NATURAL RESOURCES, AS THE NEXT PART IN OUR CONTINUING FAMILY TIES SERIES, WE'RE EXPLORING THIS CONTROVERSIAL AND OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD PROCESS. JOINING US TODAY IS SARA ROSS, A FARMER FROM IOWA AND VOLUNTEER FROM COMMON GROUND. A GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT WAS CREATED TO FOSTER CONVERSATION BETWEEN WOMEN WHO GROW THE FOOD ON FARMS AND THOSE WHO ARE CONSUMERS LIVING IN CITIES. GOOD MORNING SARA. GOOD MORNING. YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A FARMER... (LAUGHS). I'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE. AH, BEAUTIFUL LADY, YOU LOOK GREAT TODAY BY THE WAY. THANK YOU. AND I KNOW YOU KNOW, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY. IT'S BEEN IN THE NEWS A TON. IT DOES STIR UP A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS RIGHT? CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT BIOTECHNOLOGY IS AND WHAT IT MEANS IN REGARDS TO OUR FOOD? YES I CAN. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ACTUALLY DESCRIBES GMOS WHICH IS A GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS AS ORGANISMS THAT HAVE BEEN ALTERED IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T OCCUR NATURALLY, WHAT SCIENTISTS CAN DO IS THEY CAN TAKE GENES OR TRAITS FROM ONE PLANT AND PUT THEM INTO ANOTHER, AND THAT CREATES A GMO PLANT WHICH THEN CREATES A GMO CROP AND THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS CALLED BIOTECHNOLOGY. I THINK YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CONCERN RELATED TO BIOTECHNOLOGY IS THAT IT'S CONSIDERED NEW, IT'S CONSIDERED UNPROVEN, BUT YOUR SAYING THERES NO TRUTH TO THAT. NO, ACTUALLY ANCIENT FARMERS HAVE BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFYING CORN FOR LIKE TEN THOUSAND YEARS SO IT'S NOT A NEW PROCESS. SOME OF THE CROPS THAT WERE GENETICALLY MODIFYING NOW A DAYS ARE CORN, SOY BEANS, CANOLA, COTTON, UM AND ALFALFA. MM ALFALFA, I HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT THAT IN A WHILE, TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. YES THER'S ACTUALLY A LOT OF BENEFITS. GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANTS CAN CREATE BETTER TASTING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. THEY STAY FRESH LONGER, WHICH IS NICE WHEN YOUR BUYING A BUNCH OF GROCERIES; THEY DON'T GO BAD AS FAST AND ALSO MAKE PLANTS RESISTANT TO DISEASES, DROUGHT, INSECT INFESTATIONS. YOU CAN TAKE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND ENHANCE THEM, LIKE IN RICE YOU CAN INCREASE A LITTLE OF THE BETA CAROTENE WHICH HELPS IN POVERTY STRICKEN COUNTRIES AND ALSO IN THE WORKS ARE GMOS THAT WILL HELP WITH FOOD ALLERGIES IN THE FUTURE. VERY INTERESTING BUT AS YOUR SITTING HERE TALKING ABOUT THIS, I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS QUESTION THAT I'M SURE A LOT OF OUR VIEWERS ARE THINKING ABOUT AS WELL IS SAFTEY. TALK ABOUT THE SAFTY IN GMOS? THE PROCESS TAKES ABOUT THIRTEEN YEARS TO GET A GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANT APPROVED. IT GOES THROUGH A PROCESS THAT THREE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE TO APPROVE. IT'S THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT EG, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THEY REVIEW ALL FOODS WETHER IT'S FOOD THAT HUMANS EAT OR THAT THE ANIMALS, LIVESTOCK EAT. AS A FARMER, AND A MOTHER OF TWO KIDS, THE FOOD THAT WE GROW ON OUR FARM I FEEL THAT IT'S SAFE TO FEED OUR KIDS, UM I WANT CONSUMERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S SAFE TO FEED THIER FAMILIES ALSO. BEING A MOTHER I WANT TO GIVE MY SON'S THE BEST FOOD POSSIBLE. I THINK SHE WANTED TO SAY IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR MY KIDS... (LAUGHING). WELL YOU KNOW I THINK IT'S GOOD INFORMATION BUT HERE'S THE OTHER THING I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I'VE ALSO HEARD. AS A MOTHER MY SELF OF THREE BOYS, I'VE HEARD THAT THERE COULD BE YOU KNOW, INCREASE INCIDENTS OF THINGS LIKE ADHD, FOOD ALLERGIES, EVEN CANCER IN GMO FOODS. UM, ACTUALLY THOSE MYTHS ARE UNTRUE. THE EXTENSIVE PROCESS THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH, THOSE THIRTEEN YEARS, THAT'S ALL LOOKED AT AND THERES BEEN NO PROVEN REPORTS. YOU KNOW I THINK WHAT COMMON GROUND IS DOING IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE I THINK EDUCATING PEOPLE IS PROBABLY THE KEY FOR YOU, RIGHT? YES, AND THAT'S WHY I BECAME INVOLVED IN COMMON GROUND, AS A FARMER OUR STORIES WE'RE GETTING TOLD BY OTHER PEOPLE AND THERE WAS A LOT OF MISINFORMATION OUT THERE AND WHAT OUR GOAL AS A COMMON GROUND VOLUNTEER IS, AND A FARMER IS TO TALK TO THE CONSUMERS ONE ON ONE. WE FOUND THAT THE WOMEN IN THE FAMILIES ARE THE ONES THAT USUALLY MAKE THE FOOD DECISIONS SO IT'S FUN TO TALK MOTHER TO MOTHER, WIFE TO WIFE ABOUT WHAT THEY BUY IN THE GROCERY STORE AND WHAT WE PRODUCE FOR THEM TO BUY IN THE GROCERY STORE AND THERES A LOT OF INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE FINDOURCOMMONGROUND.COM ON THIS TOPIC AND MANY OTHERS. GREAT POINT YOU MAKE BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. SO IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THIS SIDE OF THE STORY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YUP, THANK YOU. PLEASURE TO MEET YOU SARA, AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN COMMON GROUND AND JOIN IN ON THE CONVERSATION ABOUT FARMING AND FOOD AND LEARN MORE ABOUT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GMOS YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE THATS THEBALANCINGACT.COM, ONCE AGAIN THAT'S THEBALANCINGACT.COM. OH, AND WE'RE ALSO ON FACEBOOK, WE'RE ON TWITTER SO REACH OUT TO US THERE AS WELL.