Guest Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Don't let the industry fool you with their deceptive ways, avoid foods with PLU codes starting with 8,4 and 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Eames Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Don't let the industry fool you with their deceptive ways, avoid foods with PLU codes starting with 8,4 and 3. Why? What are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Curtis Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Are you talking about produce with genetic modification? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Yes, apparently PLU codes starting with 8 means it's genetically modified, if it starts with a 4 or 3 it's not genetically modified, however it's been sprayed with chemicals. You want to look for codes starting with 9 because that means that it's organic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 American? Edit: Nope, PLU codes appear to be a global standard. Literally 5 seconds on google has told me that the key thing to look for is the length of the code itself. If it's a 4 digit code, the produce doesn't qualify as "significant" in any way. Yes, if the preceding digit for a 5 digit code is an 8 it's GMO, but I don't think this can be relied upon. I believe it was only officially announced this year, so these things may be subject to change. Hmm, interesting how I feel I can give advice on something I found out about 5 minutes ago...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biren Patel Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 What is wrong with genetic modification? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keilani Gutierrez Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 What is wrong with genetic modification?apparently it has something to do with the nature of the modification, but im not really sure what its about :/ brocolli is an excellent example of a beneficial GMO but i don't really know the dangers or so much as an example of one that could cause damage and how. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 What is wrong with genetic modification?Epigenetics. Basically, environmental factors activate or put to sleep certain parts of your genetic code. For example, they can tell if your father smoked before puberty by looking at your DNA, although that is an extreme example. Since GMO food is full of previously nonexistent DNA and proteins, no-one knows exactly what effect eating it will have on your genes, but rest assured, there is one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Macdonald Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Since GMO food is full of previously nonexistent DNA and proteins, no-one knows exactly what effect eating it will have on your genes, but rest assured, there is one. Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's inherently bad. Using selective breeding techniques you can also create crops that are less nutritious or potentially even dangerous, genetic modification is just faster. But neither process is inherently bad, it's just a tool to be used properly or improperly. Ancient species of plants, untouched by human manipulation were not only far less nutritious, but often far more toxic. Nor does it really matter if it existed previously or not. You could go to a remote part of China and eat a plant that you've never encountered before and the end result (or non-result) is identical. Whether it existed previously or not isn't relevant, your body is encountering something new, and something new might happen, or not. I have my reservations on GMO as well, and I eat organic, local whole foods. But I think the process of genetic modification should be examined for it's own merits, completely separate from the actions of some irresponsible corporations that use it. And I think the problem with most of the criticisms of genetic modification are tied up with how it's being used, and not the specific process itself. Those criticisms are valid, but should be taken and viewed separately. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I have my reservations on GMO as well, and I eat organic, local whole foods. But I think the process of genetic modification should be examined for it's own merits, completely separate from the actions of some irresponsible corporations that use it.This 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Kallio Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Round-up Ready Corn... translation: they are going to spray the corn with herbicide, it will kill the weeds but corn survives.... and you get to eat the residue The DNA sequences that they add to make crops resistant to funguses, insects, diseases etc can also cause the production of proteins and other stuff that provoke food allergies. I read somewhere that soy is especially problematic. Personally I am happier buying produce off of a truck in a farmer's market. I may or may not be eating 100% organic, but at least my money goes directly to the guy growing the food. But then again, if the choice is a GMO monocrop factory farm spinach salad or french fries I take the salad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Slocum Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 What is wrong with genetic modification?It sounds scary and so it's easy to get people worried about it. There's nothing inherently wrong with genetic modification as an agricultural technology (unless you're the sort of person who likes to appeal to nature). However, genetically modifying crops does raise a variety of ethical, environmental and health concerns, and current GMO producers have often been criticized for failing to adequately address these concerns, or even outright disregarding them. As a result of these criticisms, many people have decided to avoid eating food made from GMOs. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Curtis Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Agree that GMO has unknown risks. Nutrition and genetics are still a very new science, and we don't know what we don't know. But I still buy 'conventional' produce. Where I live, organic produce is often literally 2-3x the cost, and it is also terrible quality. Choosing between conventional produce and processed starches, I'll take the trace pesticides and genetic modification. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 What is wrong with genetic modification?Oh, and you know, they're supposed to tell you when something is GMO, but I don't think there's any actual law requiring them to.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl-Erik Karlsen Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I like the "better safe than sorry" principle when it comes to opening doors to technology that has very severe potential consequences further up the road. And if something can be abused, it will happen.I like selective breeding and such procedures better than direct GMO, because you are giving room for natural selection to weed out problems before they start to propagate. When you directly modify something, you are bypassing all the checks and balances in nature and there is just no way that we humans are able to see all the interconnections on all the levels (biochemical, genetic, ecosystems etc) between all the species in nature - enough so that we are smart enough to avoid creating a mess... And the technology is so new it is bound to be rife with pitfalls and errors. But they are potentially very costly, not only for us, but the system as a whole. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Proulx Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Did you guys know that almonds have(had) deadly levels or arsenic but have been since bred to be edible, bananas also have been modified to the point where they can no longer be bred, yet I eat 2 or 3 of these a day. There are no "organic" bananas, the whole organic thing is most times a scam IMO. EDIT: ok almonds may still be considered organic, since they have been domesticated for thousands of years, but a lot of our fruit in northamerica, and vegtables have been selectively bred and modified to be more "plentiful" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keilani Gutierrez Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Did you guys know that almonds have(had) deadly levels or arsenic but have been since bred to be edible, bananas also have been modified to the point where they can no longer be bred, yet I eat 2 or 3 of these a day. There are no "organic" bananas, the whole organic thing is most times a scam IMO.EDIT: ok almonds may still be considered organic, since they have been domesticated for thousands of years, but a lot of our fruit in northamerica, and vegtables have been selectively bred and modified to be more "plentiful"true, before 2013, i didnt even know that bananas actually had -seeds- in them. crazy, when i first saw it in a picture.(would like to see. one up close) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 .....the whole organic thing is most times a scam IMO...... I think organic mostly refers to the methods of cultivation, use of fertilizers and such. But I knew one farmer who found out their pork was being sold in the supermarkets as organic, when they weren't actually using organic farming practices. They were more offended about the markup and the extra profit they were missing out on than anything..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keilani Gutierrez Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I think organic mostly refers to the methods of cultivation, use of fertilizers and such. But I knew one farmer who found out their pork was being sold in the supermarkets as organic, when they weren't actually using organic farming practices. They were more offended about the markup and the extra profit they were missing out on than anything.....economics is a true worry for a lot of business-owners because it enhances quality of life and facilitates giving out a better product without entering the ever dangerous "how much on mark up can i sacrifice without it affecting my product and my lifestyle." it's a fine line that most don't realize is a skill that is developed. I never used to give discounts to my customers because my patron company(withholding name) didn't facilitate me the tools to be able to give that leeway to my customers. now that they do, i can offer the -exact- (keyword here) same quality, with a few incentives alongside shipping discounts and better terms(only offered to those who would honor it, i dont think you know how annoying it is when a customer asks for Net30, when he's on Credit Card or COD and when you give him the freedom to pay at net30, he decides to actually make it Net60+) I only say that for reference, not to dispute what you're saying. a lot of people who are new to business or alien to sane business practices demonize positive attributes and rejoice with negative attributes(like the aforementioned) but then again, i know a lot of business owners who bleed their businesses because they don't follow something as simple as giving themselves a wage. /2c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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