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I am a produce buyer for a small family-run store in SE Portland. We specialize in mostly organic produce with an emphasis on local and sustainable. The idea is to preserve farmland and support our farmers in the area while providing our customers with exceptional quality.

There are many concerns that I have related to genetically modified plants. A few of them would be their inability to produce seed that can be saved and replanted ( their seeds are essentially sterile), as well as Monsanto's ownership of those seeds making it illegal to do so if they were viable. I am concerned about the lack of real and long standing scientific research on the long term effects of GM seeds and their relation to other seeds in the environment. I am concerned with the idea that it is okay in our world to spray a product that kills all insects, plants need bees and other insects for pollination. I am concerned with the business ethics of a company that has put generations of farmers out of business.

With all of that said, people can educate themselves about the topics and issues of farming and genetic modification, but what we still don't have is proper labeling of geneticaly modified foods. There is a reason for that. Monsanto knows that people, people that care, will avoid GM foods if given the option. I find that people care very much where their vegetable seeds come from (customers specifically ask if our seeds are GMO-free), and how their food is grown. I don't believe it is an accident that high end stores and farmer's markets are booming.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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