GM in Australia

Hi

I recently made the mistake of thinking that GM was truly everywhere in Australia, even though there are pretty serious regulations as to what crops can be grown using genetic modification and which products they can appear in.

One serious problem, though - from what I can gather - is that Australia has pretty lax regulations in the labelling of GM food.

Before I go on, quick references and answers to labelling questions - plus a petition if you are against GM crops - can be found at the following site:

True Food Network

truefood.org.au
A list of products and companies that have a clear non-GM policy, and those that don't. That's not to say that any companies on either side are guilt free or bad ass - this is simply a list of companies that are definietly GM free, and those that may not be. You can download the 2010 list by clicking here.

There's more, but that will do for now...

These are all long conversations in themselves, but I wonder at this point what people's thoughts are on GM food production? I know that it's easy for me, being a privileged middle class white kid from Sydney, Australia who is lucky enough to be in the position to make these decisions based on morals and preferences, not on the need to provide food for my family where there may not otherwise be enough. But there are serious health implications, and concerns for the environment: what if we're right, and these crops are dangerous to people's health?

Do you only eat organic produce? Do you know which products at the supermarket contain GM ingredients? Are you aware of the pesticides used on the non-organic produce that you buy, and what the possible health implications may be?

I'd really like to hear what people are doing/thinking/buying/boycotting...

Feel free to leave a comment below or email me.

I'll speak to you soon.

Kurt