Playing God in the Garden-Planting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Playing God in the Garden-Planting - Essay Example Biotechnology foods may be unnerving to some, but in our quest to feed the world at an affordable cost we need to make some trade offs. Pollans article is a good common sense look at the subject. Nothing comes without a risk, but companies and investors that take that risk need to know that they are making a bet on their own reputation and their financial future. First of all, Bio-Toxin potatoes are not as unsafe as some of the chemicals used in conventional food products. With every new innovation in pest or weed management, there comes a risk of one-day discovering a long-term health effect. The age of chemicals introduced Alar, DDT, and Heptachlor as a miracle application that would produce more food at a lower cost. They were discovered to be extremely harmful to the ecology of our planet as well as our personal health. Socially, we reversed our direction and the industry developed safer products. Unlike the past, Monsanto needs to put its money where its mouth is in regards to its belief that the new genetically engineering approach is safe. Of course, when weve seen the results of tobacco, asbestos, and Enron, there are few reasons to trust a multi-national conglomeration with their reach. The public needs to hold Monsanto and the scores of other biotechnology companies financially and socially responsible for their products. The FDA and the EPA have passed the ball back and forth but have refused to get involved in the game. They have left it to the companies and they and their investors need to be aware that they will be held accountable. Past genetic engineering was slow and took generations to produce any results. 50 years ago, plant geneticists were crossing drought resistant soybeans with a variety that was resistant to mold. After generations of selection, they had a new variety that had the mold resistant gene. Today, this is done in a petri dish in a fraction of the time. There is little difference in the two