Do you assume anyone who eats "organic" is stupid?

[el numero uno]

You apparently haven't read the first  page of this thread.  The USDA allows lots of crap to be used and still be labelled organic.

I fail to see what's wrong with using the products in the list Rambone posted. I think you are assuming all those products touch your food. That's not the case.

In the other hand, I know that some farmers cheat when plagues/diseases get out of control. Still healthier than a conventional crop.

[Schnauzer]

Commercial bananas are natural hybrids. No GMO at all.

No, they are NOT natural hybrids. The banana was domesticated by humans by purposefully cross-breeding different species. So yes, they are genetically modified.

 The vast majority of the cultivated bananas (Pollefeys et al., 2004) are derived from inter- and intraspecific crosses between two diploid (2n = 2x = 22) wild species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana (Simmonds and Shepherd, 1955). In terms of the chromosome sets, these are designated as having the genome constitution AA (M. acuminata) or BB (M. balbisiana). These diploid Musa species have seeded fruit with little starch and only a small amount of fleshy pith, and are of no value as a crop.

http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/5/1073.full

[el numero uno]

No, they are NOT natural hybrids. The banana was domesticated by humans by purposefully cross-breeding different species. So yes, they are genetically modified.



http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/5/1073.full

Well, you failed to read this part.

The cultivated hybrids and species are mostly triploid (2n = 3x = 33; a few are diploid or tetraploid), and most have been propagated from mutants found in the wild.

The first cultivated bananas were a natural hybrid. A cross between M. acuminata and M. balbisiana.

Some new varities have been developed after that. But still, all varities out there come from M. acuminata and M. balbisiana.

You seem to think that plant breeding is the same as genetic engineering. It's not.

[Schnauzer]

Well, you failed to read this part.

The first cultivated bananas were a natural hybrid. A cross between M. acuminata and M. balbisiana.

Some new varities have been developed after that. But still, all varities out there come from M. acuminata and M. balbisiana.

You seem to think that plant breeding is the same as genetic engineering. It's not.

You seem to think that plant breeding does not change genetics. It does.

The cultivated bananas and plantains differ from their wild relatives by being seedless and parthenocarpic – the fruit develops without seed development or pollination and fertilization. The genetic basis of the mutation (or mutations) in the A genome that gives rise to parthenocarpy has not been characterized, and no parthenocarpy has been identified in B genome diploids, although hybrids of A and B show the character. Most of the cultivars are wild collections made by farmers of spontaneously occurring mutants with parthenocarpic fruit production, which were brought into cultivation and then multiplied and distributed by vegetative propagation.  

[el numero uno]

Well, you failed to read this part.


You seem to think that plant breeding does not change genetics. It does.

That's pretty much what I said. As far as I know, every variety out there comes from those 2 species.

Of course plant breeding changes genetics, farmer have been doing this for centuries. The result is domesticated varieties with better yield, more nutritional value, tolerance to stress and diseases, etc. How is this a bad thing?

Again, genetic engineering is not the same as plant breeding.

[Never1AShow]

That's pretty much what I said. As far as I know, every variety out there comes from those 2 species.

Of course plant breeding changes genetics, farmer have been doing this for centuries. The result is domesticated varieties with better yield, more nutritional value, tolerance to stress and diseases, etc. How is this a bad thing?

Again, genetic engineering is not the same as plant breeding.

It is not the same, one is much much less efficient and much less controlled, achieving the same result in a less scientific and logical way.  They get to the same place ultimately though, no difference except it scares people who do not understand science.

[Never1AShow]

(i) Calcium hypochlorite.

(ii) Chlorine dioxide.

(iii) Sodium hypochlorite


All very natural.  Hahaha.  Also:

Tetracycline
Streptomycin

Seriously?  Very organic.

[Tapeworm]

I'm Roundup Ready, Mr DeMille.

[The Scott]

I'm Roundup Ready, Mr DeMille.

Being the age I am, I got this! Kinda like the "Flying Monkeys" statement in the first Avengers flick!

Well done, Sir Tape of Worm!

[Nails]

What organization is responsible for policing these organic farms to make sure they dont just buy crates of produce at vons and repackage them for their clients at Ralph's ?

[Howard]

Yes. Or delusional.  What the usda allows to be advertised as "organic" is in contrast to what most people would define as organic.

6/7 years ago I dated a chick who bought everything labeled organic: chips,  juices,  frozen products,  I seem to remember a box of organic Rice Krispy's......  Needless  to say I searched what constitutes labeling a food item organic, and if I remember correctly among other weak statutes,  it was a product where the land had been pesticide free for two planting seasons, and if I'm not mistaken agricultural soil  is required to have a pesticide free crop every number of years anyhow (it's been awhile so my info may be a little shaky, but I'm sure if someone were to use Google they  would easily correct me).

Anyhow I showed this to her and she told me that I could eat unhealthy if I wanted, she wasn't putting chemicals in her body.

Same woman would only drink Evian bottled water, I once bought her a bottle of Aquafina and she went nuts. I told her it's all tap water, that she'd be fine and she went on a rant why Evian was superior and I wasn't going to change her......... good times.

You should have rubbed cow dung on your dick.
She would have blown you like a champ.

[Never1AShow]

You should have rubbed cow dung on your dick.
She would have blown you like a champ.

Was this question ever answered, which "champ" was doing the blowing down in Texas? 

Also was the ice in the ice machine organic and ice?