Online comments

In response to “Genetically modified foods pose no harm to us” (by Jacqui Oesterblad, Nov. 17)

The U.S. is using 40 times more pesticides by volume than when it started in the 1940s, and today’s pesticides are many times more toxic — yet total crops lost to pests has risen from 9 percent to 13 percent. And we have to eat three apples to get the same nutrition our grandparents got from one. Ellsworth is a very rare exception or a shill.

— Jay Austin

The bigger issue with GMOs is that they allow companies like Monsanto to monopolize food production, which can also lead to even higher prices. Another issue is that popular GMO crops will lead to cultivar monocultures; widespread plantings of the same breed of crop. Even GMOs are not totally immune to disease or pests, and this can lead to sudden and disastrous crop shortages.

— Russell Doner

There are 4 major suppliers of GM seeds Monsanto, DuPont/Pioneer Hi-Bred, Syngenta, and Dow AgroSciences along with 6 smaller companies. That is not a monopoly. All the suppliers have different varieties of seeds, so it certainly won’t be a monoculture, by any means.

— hyperzombie (in response to Russell Doner)

In response to “GMO labeling allows consumers to be better informed” (by Elizabeth Eaton, Nov. 17)

I think all food that has water in it should be required to display, in large letters, that it contains “DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE.” This would be a good regulation, right? All it does is makes customers more informed. They can decide for themselves whether they want to consume dihydrogen monoxide.

I hope you realize what a horrible idea that would be, and I hope you can connect the dots and realize that requiring GMO labeling is nonsense.

If non-GMO food companies want to advertise that their products are free of GMOs, they are already free to do so. But requiring companies to say whether their products have GMOs (especially when GMOs are safe) is just trying to scare people into buying organic products.

I mean, really. What exactly, besides this supposed “right to know,” is the benefit here?

— twentythirtyone

Why are we trying to make more laws and mandates? We live in a free capitalist society, if enough consumers want to know if their food is GMO or not then a company will capitalize on it… oh wait some already have, I think it’s this new type of food labeling called ORGANIC.

— jared