Food Good, Monsanto Bad
Mendocino County is pushing a referendum to ban cultivation of genetically modified organisims, and as the chef of the first fully-certified fully-organic restaurant in California, younger brother endorses the effort, naturally enough. I see his point, and the County’s, but I’m afraid the genie is well and truly out of the bottle on this one. Aside from the glow-in-the-dark fish, there’s the corn and the rice, and soy is reportedly one of the most extensively modified foods on the planet, although I don’t think that involved direct genetic manipulation. On the other hand, those who would argue that these things can be controlled should probably know that there are organic farms in Canada currently being sued for infringement of Monsanto’s patents. How? Well, pollen is pollen, and I wouldn’t trust anyone who tells me they can prevent bees from travelling from one field to another. So for the privilege of no longer being able to claim organic status, these farmers are in court and the businesses they supplied have to go elsewhere. Vote Yes on H: you are what you eat.