EU vote on GM labelling - we won!

[RudeDawg]

Originally posted by MagiK: Hey Rudy, Im pro-irradiation of food stuffs, any clue as to how many people are killed annually by contamination from spoiled or rotting food?? its a big number. After years of testing no problems have been traced back to irradiated foods causing test animals to mutate into Godzilla. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hey Magik, like I've said before, I support people's decisions to do what they will with their own life. But I decide what I'll do with my body. I'm not happy about irradiating the food that I eat.

There haven't been enough studies about the safety of irradiated foods, and the results are about 50% - 50% , pro-and-con.

The difference is, if the pro side is right, no-harm no-foul. If the con side is correct, thousands of lives, now and into the future will be affected.

Like I said, I buy my stuff at organic produce stands and markets. You are correct, they don't have the shelf life of GM or irradiated food. So I buy what I need, and shop more often. it's the price I willingly pay for natural foods.

[Silver Cheetah]

Originally posted by /)eathKiller: umm what does this mean for us Americans?

Weeeeeell, it means that the US won't be able to export GM food to the EU unless it's properly labelled as such. In Europe, the majority of people (or consumers, as we're all known as these days) are agin GM foods. If foods are labelled GM, they won't have the biggest market.

Personally, I don't tend to buy American foods anyway, because the same products are all available, pretty much, of European origin, and why pay for apples that have been shipped all the way from the US of A when I can get ones that were grown locally? Environmentally, it's just madness. I can see the point in importing US products that we can't get locally or within the EU, but otherwise, it's bonkers.

Happy to buy bananas from the Caribbean, for example, cos we can't grow them here. Likewise coconuts from Africa. But apples from the US? Give me a break. (Nothing against US apples - I'm sure they're lovely! [img]smile.gif[/img] )

Originally posted by RudeDawg: quote: Originally posted by MagiK: Hey Rudy, Im pro-irradiation of food stuffs, any clue as to how many people are killed annually by contamination from spoiled or rotting food?? its a big number. After years of testing no problems have been traced back to irradiated foods causing test animals to mutate into Godzilla. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hey Magik, like I've said before, I support people's decisions to do what they will with their own life. But I decide what I'll do with my body. I'm not happy about irradiating the food that I eat.

There haven't been enough studies about the safety of irradiated foods, and the results are about 50% - 50% , pro-and-con.

The difference is, if the pro side is right, no-harm no-foul. If the con side is correct, thousands of lives, now and into the future will be affected.

Like I said, I buy my stuff at organic produce stands and markets. You are correct, they don't have the shelf life of GM or irradiated food. So I buy what I need, and shop more often. it's the price I willingly pay for natural foods.[/QUOTE]I still don't know what the EU GM thing is all about

[Silver Cheetah]

Originally posted by MagiK: Hey Rudy, Im pro-irradiation of food stuffs, any clue as to how many people are killed annually by contamination from spoiled or rotting food?? its a big number. After years of testing no problems have been traced back to irradiated foods causing test animals to mutate into Godzilla. [img]smile.gif[/img] On a slightly different note...what is GM? And Im pretty sure that the US is not going to go belley up in a trade war with the EU.

Hehe, if you want to know about contaminated food, go read Fast Food Nation. Scarey stuff. So glad I'm a veggie - what goes on in the meat industry is beyond belief.

On the trade war front, well, if it comes to that, the US will take us to the WTO, and then we'll be into sanctions territory.

GM food is a big issue here in Europe, - voters don't want it. Notwithstanding, certain key elements in the UK government are very pissed off with the labelling result, and will no doubt be working hard to overturn the result between now and it eventually being written into legislation.

[ 07-09-2002, 02:04 PM: Message edited by: Silver Cheetah ]

[Silver Cheetah]

Originally posted by MagiK: I still don't know what the EU GM thing is all about

Um, what bit don't you understand? Maybe you call GM something different in the US?

Originally posted by Silver Cheetah: quote: Originally posted by /)eathKiller: umm what does this mean for us Americans?

Weeeeeell, it means that the US won't be able to export GM food to the EU unless it's properly labelled as such. In Europe, the majority of people (or consumers, as we're all known as these days) are agin GM foods. If foods are labelled GM, they won't have the biggest market.

Personally, I don't tend to buy American foods anyway, because the same products are all available, pretty much, of European origin, and why pay for apples that have been shipped all the way from the US of A when I can get ones that were grown locally? Environmentally, it's just madness. I can see the point in importing US products that we can't get locally or within the EU, but otherwise, it's bonkers.

Happy to buy bananas from the Caribbean, for example, cos we can't grow them here. Likewise coconuts from Africa. But apples from the US? Give me a break. (Nothing against US apples - I'm sure they're lovely! [img]smile.gif[/img] )[/QUOTE] I agree it is madness to import something you can get locally. Unless there is a quality difference or a price savings there is no reason you should import things you can get locally. American Apples are good [img]smile.gif[/img] and as long as Europeans buy them we will continue to supply them, if the market goes away, then so too should the supply. It is called free enterprise [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Yes madness... thats why the goverment burn down all OUR apple trees so they could IMPORT them from NEW ZEALAND! bah! am I the only one who thinks thats crazy? cant remember which goveremnt tho...

Originally posted by Silver Cheetah: quote: Originally posted by MagiK: I still don't know what the EU GM thing is all about

Um, what bit don't you understand? Maybe you call GM something different in the US?[/QUOTE] Rudy just told me GM was Geneticly Manipulated...I had no idea (DoH!)

[img]smile.gif[/img] now I understnad the debate a bit better [img]smile.gif[/img] Thanks [img]smile.gif[/img]

Originally posted by Calaethis Dragonsbane: Yes madness... thats why the goverment burn down all OUR apple trees so they could IMPORT them from NEW ZEALAND! bah! am I the only one who thinks thats crazy? cant remember which goveremnt tho...

Never heard about that, but some times things like that are done due to public health reasons, or to protect indigenous plants from non-native plants...are apples native to england?

[RudeDawg]

Originally posted by Silver Cheetah: Um, what bit don't you understand? Maybe you call GM something different in the US?

yes, Silver Cheetah. Here in the USA, it's GE - > Genetically Enhanced Just a marketing ploy to make it seem better for us. [img]graemlins/idontagreeatall.gif[/img]