Jumping on the GMO Bandwagon

Many people have a tendency to accept whatever kind of nonsense they hear if everyone else thinks it is so. For example, the whole "saving paper" thing, as if that will save the world. Yesterday morning, after I paid for a ton of groceries for a dinner party that evening, the checkout guy asked, "Would you like your receipt today?" Thinking it would be silly for him to mail it to me, I said, "Of course, why do you ask?"

He then explained that many customers at this particular upscale, trendy little market are no longer taking receipts, opting instead to save paper and ultimately save the planet from total destruction. I asked him if he was worried about Iran getting a nuclear bomb and he shrugged, not seeing the connection.

Another bandwagon that is almost overflowing already (so if you're hoping to jump on do it today) is Fear of GMOs. That stands for "genetically modified organisms," and the thinking is that they will kill you. This fear is quite widespread at local farmer's markets where almost every vendor displays a huge sign proclaiming proudly that their goods are 100% ORGANIC!!!!! NON GMO!!!!!   

The truth is it's the organic stuff that can kill you. As reported in today's Wall Street Journal: "A meta-analysis from Stanford University of papers published on the subject over a 50-year period concluded that there was no significant nutritional difference between conventionally and organically grown foods. However, organic produce is 10 times more likely to be recalled for bacterial contamination than conventionally grown food. That's a far worse track record than genetically modified food, which has never caused a health problem because of its modifications."