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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| U.S.D.A. Approves Modified Potato |
| 2014-11-09 |
| [NY Times] But the approval comes as some consumers are questioning the safety of genetically engineered crops and demanding that the foods made from them be labeled. Ballot initiatives calling for labeling were rejected by voters in Oregon and Colorado this week, after food and seed companies poured millions of dollars into campaigns to defeat the measures. Not that many consumers, since the initiatives were rejected by the voters. There's probably a judge somewhere who'll ban them though. The question now is whether the potatoes â which come in the Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and Atlantic varieties â will be adopted by food companies and restaurant chains. At least one group opposed to such crops has already pressed McDonaldâs to reject them. Who knows what a genetically modified potato might do? They might be carnivorous1 Genetically modified potatoes failed once before. In the late 1990s, Monsanto began selling potatoes genetically engineered to resist the Colorado potato beetle. But the market collapsed after big potato users, fearing consumer resistance, told farmers not to grow them. Simplot itself, after hearing from its fast-food chain customers, instructed its farmers to stop growing the Monsanto potatoes. "What happened to Bob?" "His french fries ate him!" |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 (Sigh) Every potato that exists has been modified from the original, which was poisonous. Farmers up in Fort Morgan grow potatoes for Frito-Lay that are specifically modified for french fries. They're not necessarily "genetically modified", but they're still not the same as "ordinary" potatoes. The Peruvian Potato Institute has more than 15,000 different varieties. All of this crap about "genetically modified foods will kill you" will be moot if we're really sitting on the edge of a mini-ice age (or the real thing!), and we have to modify crops to grow in cooler climates in order to feed ourselves. The fear-mongers among us should have their ankles broken - just below the chin. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2014-11-09 16:00 |
| #3 And a Nobel Peace Prize..... |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2014-11-09 11:13 |
| #2 Coming soon to a store near you....the intelligent Mr. Potato Head!!!! Comes complete with Harvard degree and hidden grades & SAT scores. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2014-11-09 07:28 |
| #1 Coming from the hashish-potato thread, I'm not sure what the problem is here. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2014-11-09 02:58 |