The Food Guys, Greg Patent and Jon Jackson, don't trust the claims of agribusiness regarding the safety and importance of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. "The industry asserts it's like natural plant breeding. But anytime you insert genes from one species into another, you're disrupting the entire genetic structure of the organism. Putting a bacterial gene into a rat or a plant might have long-term effects on the physiology of the rat or the plant," says Greg.
Jon claims that in GMO testing, lab rats get observed for at most ninety days. "That's the equivalent of 7-9 years of human life, which isn't even one generation." Critics of GMO foods point out that physiological effects could take generations to appear. "This testing is flash-in-the-pan."
"The GMO industry makes many safety claims, but can they prove them?" asks Greg. "Where are the studies? Where is the data? They also claims their products are essential to feeding the world, but this isn't the case today."
"Follow the money," advise Jon and Greg.
(Broadcast: "The Food Guys," 5/22/16, 5/26/16 and 2/3/19. Listen weekly on the radio at 11:50 a.m. Sundays and again at 4:54 p.m. Thursdays, or via podcast.)