I've seen a number of films that profess the wonders of growing organic. Being anti-GMO is part of the drill.
Food Evolution is a film that tells us GMOs are good. The truth lies somewhere in between but is that closer to this new film?
As part of a lunch-and-learn series this month, we will see the film broken up in 2 different sessions followed by a discussion on the topic.
The films I've seen want the truth. Food Evolution wants the truth. As we've learned about freedom on this food blog, truth seems to be in the eye of the beholder. While the definition of freedom will always have different hues, truth should be black and white.
There may be a section of anti-GMOs proponents who are also against genetic engineering of any kind. Most of the anti-GMO crowd can handle what happened to the rainbow papaya in Hawaii, where inserting genes from another plant helped bring back the plant to life. Given that GMOs work in a similar way to genetic engineering (GE), you might wonder about splitting hairs but this argument isn't as much about the technology but how that technology is being used. In other words, genetic engineering has some validity; Monsanto's use of said technology doesn't have validity.
Golden rice, adding beta-carotene (Vitamin A) to rice, as well as developing disease-resistant and drought-tolerant crops are examples of genetic engineering that have great potential, with the emphasis on potential to be a positive force in improving nutrition around the world.
'Fed Up' speaks to limited truth along with whining and exploitation
'Farmland' is propaganda, but Katie Couric doesn't help 'Fed Up' credibility
What's Tempting: GMO-free Cheerios
BalanceofFood.com film coverage
These films have a point of view. How that point of view is presented speaks volumes about their own case. If you have the truth on your side, using propaganda techniques doesn't help your cause. BalanceofFood is a journalism blog so we don't like propaganda even if we agree with the message.
We will have a review of the film later this month as well as a wrapup of the discussion early in April.
video credit: YouTube/Abramorama Inc
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