When you have read the above article, you will understand the article:

General overview

To get a general idea of the problems with GE foods, it is good, yes we would say important, to read: Summary of the key points about safety".

Insufficient knowledge of DNA

It is important to understand that science knows far too little about DNA to be able to master genetic engineering. A simple introduction is:

Another good and fairly simple article explaining more about this is:

It is a condensate of a more advanced article:

Genetic engineering is based on the "one gene - one property" theory. However this is an outdated conception. This explained in:

A more advanced article on the same issue was written by professor Richard Strohman at the University of Berkeley:

2. Understanding the environmental issue

Ecologists (environment researchers) have warned for a number of possible complications that may disrupt the ecology and cause agricultural problems. We want to point to a few here that seem especially problematic:

The perhaps most worrisome is that GE plants may give rise to new and harmful viruses. This complication has been experimentally demonstrated and cannot be dismissed as conjectural. This is explained in:

Although scientists have warned for various complications of GE crops, scientific investigation of them has been very scarce and incomplete, see:

• Why unpredictable substances may appear[ELi] [ML]. The introductory part is fairly easy to understand.
• The reasons why hazardous substances may be created[ML] More details, not too difficult.
• No safety assessment methods are fully reliable [EL]. In a simple way it explains why it is difficult to make reliable food safety assessments.

If you find the arguments of biotech proponents impressive, we suggest you take a "brain wash antidote" by reading:

The "heaviest" argument used to confuse people is that genetic engineering provides foods of great value. There is in fact no single GE food that is of significant value, see:

6. How could it happen that GE foods were released in spite of insufficient knowledge?

As you now begin to realize GE organsims should neither have been released into nature nor sold as food, you may be surprised that they still have been approved (we were stunned when it occurred 6-7 years ago).

Our understanding of what happened is presented in this article which serves as a general introduction:

This article adds some illuminating background facts:

Revealing is how the American Food agency, FDA suppressed warnings about GE foods among its own experts:

The dependence of scientists upon industrial support in this field has contributed importantly to this situation. This is explained further in:

7. Agricultural problems

The great expectations that the biotech proponents created have not been fulfilled. There has not been increased yields, rather the opposite. It has not been possible to reduce the use of toxic chemicals, rather the opposite. Increasing numbers of farmers, even in the "mainland of GE", United States, are turning away from GE crops. The problem reports are many. Here are a few articles:

• New! GE foods are likely to increase the risk for world hunger
• Genetically Engineered Roundup Ready Soy crops less profitable than conventionally bred varietes  [EL] A scientific report based on over 8000 university-based field studies finds lower yields and increased use of herbicide compared to conventionally bred soy.
• Disappointing Biotech Crops  [EL]
• For more articles on agricultural problems, see the section: Agricultural Aspects

8. Global aspects

• The Vancouver Statement On the Globalization and Industrialization of Agriculture.
  
  Excerpt: "Reducing farming to a monocultural, synthetic, transnational corporate business threatens the health, nourishment, right livelihood, and spirituality of communities and the earth. It is insane to believe that we must poison land and water and waste the soil in order to feed and clothe ourselves. Five decades of the so-called Green Revolution have not only led to the destruction and contamination of water, soil, biodiversity, and human communities, but exacerbated hunger worldwide"

• It is a myth that world hunger is due to scarcity of food  Increased food production is not the solution.

• For more, see the section: Global Issues

9. Increasing resistance world-wide

During 1999 there was a turning point. Until then the biotech corporations were optimistic and expressed great expectations. But during that year a number of setbacks occurred, including a great increase of consumer protests in many countries. Governments in of several countries turned more and more restrictive if not banning the crops altogether.

10. Alternatives to genetic engineering of food

1. Sustainable agriculture

Research on organic farming indicates that it can give as good or better yield as industrial farming without using any harmful chemicals. See for example:

• Organic Farming Will Feed the World.  Astonishingly, some reports indicate that it's more productive than industrial "Hi-Tech" agriculture. This is a major blow to the main argument for genetic engineering of crops. By Mr. George Monbiot.

A recent FAO report has shown that genetic engineering is not necessary to feed the world:

• "FAO report reveals GM crops not needed to feed the world" [EL].

• For more, see the section: Alternatives to genetic engineering of food/Sustainable agriculture

2. Genomics

This technology used the knowledge about genes developed in biotechnology for finding suitable breeding partners. This approach is expected to speed up the pace of conventional breeding greatly. Leading experts, even in biotech companies consider this a more realistic and more effective alternative for improving crops than genetic engineering.

For more, see the section:

11. News

Here is a link to our: News page. Presenting some important news in recent years.

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Conclusion

Now we hope it is more obvious to you why we find it necessary to forbid the release of GE organisms (plants, trees, fishes, insects, bacteria etc) into the environment and ban the use of GE foods. You may want to review our major conclusions in Step Two .