Food Ethics (Poll)

[Darla Starch]

I eat whatever....aside from 95% of all vegetables....and mangoes. (Work-related hatred, why does seemingly every beverage NEED TO HAVE A MANGO/ORANGE MANGO FLAVOR a.k.a food conglomerate for "no creativity")

 

[Sanji Himura]

I'm surprised organic isn't doing better in the poles. You'd think it was all anyone eats based on square footage in the supermarket.

I'm a bit stunned at that as well. Most of the meat that I buy at my local market is organic/no hormones. That said, I still think that the push is there by our local governments to eat more organic will eat even more space on market floors.

 

[Com Fox]

I'll go for anything tasty, even when I know the ingredients are disgusting.

I remember at a friends place we had a "special" drinking game where instead of Alcohol, we had to drink drinks with odd incrediants thrown together (like Milk mixed with Onions, Tomato Sauce and Chocolate Syrup). Eventually, I kept losing on Purpose because I actuallyliked the taste of most of the drinks, and NO, I didn't get sick.

 

[Johnnypenso]

I'm surprised organic isn't doing better in the poles. You'd think it was all anyone eats based on square footage in the supermarket.

It might be different in the bigger cities, but here in little Windsor (pop. 200,000) the organic section of the supermarket is 2 aisles about 20 metres in total and most of it is packaged foods like oils, sugars, peanut butter, chips etc. No fresh meat, a little frozen section but mostly pizzas and packaged dinners in the freezer. Small amount of organic produce but it's usually carrots, bananas, kale and once in a while a couple of other vegetables. The Bulk Barn has organic grains and a few other bulk items which comes in handy.

Organic food is expensive for the most part and I think that turns a lot of people off in this mostly working class town.

 

[FoolKiller]

I'm surprised organic isn't doing better in the poles. You'd think it was all anyone eats based on square footage in the supermarket.

You've been in California and Colorado. Both tend to be a bit into the alternative stuff. Here the organic section is crammed in a section between produce, bakery, and meat/seafood. It has a total of three aisles a fraction of the length of the normal ones, plus one freezer section, and you would miss it if you didn't know it was there. Add in that about half of one aisle wall is Vitamin Water. I only know it exists because I can find some lower sodium options in that section.

Now the store has their own organics brand for meats and vegetables, but it is a small section to the side of the main stuff.

I think it is all determined by your local culture and how much of certain types of media they will watch.

 

[Danoff]

So far no GMO concerns, no vegetarians, and only 1 avoids hormone and antiobiotic treatment. Very surprising. Chipotle advertises "No GMOs" in a big sign at their locations as though it's going to appeal to everyone. But nobody here actually seems to care about many of these issues.

 

[Northstar]

I'm not overly picky about what I eat. Although I do prefer things that use real sugar instead of HFCS, but it's more about the flavor of the food being better.

 

[FoolKiller]

So far no GMO concerns, no vegetarians, and only 1 avoids hormone and antiobiotic treatment. Very surprising. Chipotle advertises "No GMOs" in a big sign at their locations as though it's going to appeal to everyone. But nobody here actually seems to care about many of these issues.

You get a noisy minority that is just large enough to gain attention and businesses react. Do you avoid choices that say GMO-free? Likely not. Do those people avoid places that use GMOs? Yes.

Similarly, many restaurants that specialize in burgers now have options for chicken breast, veggie patties, or fish substitutions. My brother is vegetarian and we can go to a burger pub and enjoy it together. If they didn't provide the option we couldn't. They would lose both of us that night because we would find a place that works for his diet. I won't avoid a place just because it has vegetarian options.

Similarly, I am seeing more and more health-based menu options. I know a couple of places that specifically list items for low-sodium diets. I've seen a few that have a separate menu with certain health dietary needs (gluten sensitive menu, sodium sensitive menu, vegetarian menu, etc.) Panera started doing this not long ago, and they even label their low-sodium items they sell in stores. Before they did that I avoided Panera because I just immediately assumed bread and/or soup = sodium. Now it is a regular visit for us.

It's just smart business. Helps pull in that ~10% who would otherwise avoid you without pushing anyone away.

 

[Danoff]

You get a noisy minority that is just large enough to gain attention and businesses react. Do you avoid choices that say GMO-free? Likely not. Do those people avoid places that use GMOs? Yes.

It is a negative in my mind, hurts my image of the establishment, but I take your point. I don't ban Chipotle because of the sign.

 

[FoolKiller]

It is a negative in my mind, hurts my image of the establishment,

You're assuming they were using GMOs before or that they made the decision to change. They might have never had GMOs, either by choice or just by who their supplier is, or their supplier might have made the change themselves. I know of a few local places that always just used local suppliers (We have this Kentucky Proud thing here) and when GMO's and organics became an issue they just tossed up the sign without changing a thing.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Similarly, many restaurants that specialize in burgers now have options for chiken breast, veggie patties, or fish substitutions.

Thats a pretty normal occurence in the UK. Even specialist American BBQ style restaurants offer Portobello Mushroom or haloumi cheese burgers.

 

[FoolKiller]

Thats a pretty normal occurence in the UK. Even specialist American BBQ style restaurants offer Portobello Mushroom or haloumi cheese burgers.

These aren't having a veggie option, etc. That's been a long common thing on many menus. These are having a menu full of hamburgers and a note on the side saying that any beef patty on any burger can be substituted with any of the other kinds available.

 

[Johnnypenso]

So far no GMO concerns, no vegetarians, and only 1 avoids hormone and antiobiotic treatment. Very surprising. Chipotle advertises "No GMOs" in a big sign at their locations as though it's going to appeal to everyone. But nobody here actually seems to care about many of these issues.

I mentioned avoiding GMO's as best I can. I don't buy much packaged food at all and fresh produce doesn't come with a label so you can't always tell what is GMO and what is not. I also very rarely eat beef or pork and pretty much all the poultry I eat is free range and hormone/antibiotic free.

 

[Danoff]

I mentioned avoiding GMO's as best I can. I don't buy much packaged food at all and fresh produce doesn't come with a label so you can't always tell what is GMO and what is not.

What concerns you about GMOs?

 

[Johnnypenso]

What concerns you about GMOs?

I'd rather eat food not genetically modified food. I'm not concerned about the science, dont trust it either way, but if I have a choice, and I almost always do, I'll choose more natural foods than foods cooked up in a lab. Same with organic. I don't care what the science says either way, I just think it makes more sense to me to eat food not sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. If you're a careful shopper, the added cost is pretty minor. Having a small garden and a long growing season for Canada helps too. Greens and herbs just grow and grow until the snow flies.

 

[FoolKiller]

I often wonder what people think is the difference between GMOs and foods created from crosspollination or grafting.

 

[Exorcet]

I'll choose more natural foods than foods cooked up in a lab.

I liked this sentence because cooked food is basically food cooked up in a lab, no matter where that food came from or how it was produced. It applied science to make food better/safer/etc.

I don't have a problem with people choosing to personally avoid genetically modified food, but playing with genes isn't a big deal. It happens in nature, and nature as is actually isn't the best for us. That's why we cook some foods in the first place.

 

[Luminis]

I'd like to say I'm not eating endangered animals - I don't, but not for moral reasons. I'd also like to say I'm against animal torture as I don't eat stuff like foie gras - I don't, but, again, never thought about the moral implications.

In the end, I'm eating what tastes good while adhering to my goals in terms of macro nutrients.

/edit:
Regarding genetically modified food: I absolutely love it when people act like that stuff is filled to the brim with mutagens like uranium or something (not like that was brought up in this threat, I just thought of my aunt, actually ).

 

[NLxAROSA]

I often wonder what people think is the difference between GMOs and foods created from crosspollination or grafting.

Pretty much this. Modifying genes (either natural or in a lab) is the only way to yield enough to sustain our growing human population. One could argue this is not sustainable (which it isn't), but starvation is not the way to fix that IMO.

That said I eat pretty much anything, though I'd prefer my protein to not be tortured. Another thing to keep in mind is that the bio-industry has pretty loose definitions of 'organic' and 'free range', so you would have to do some pretty thorough research to really know what's going down your throat.

 

[FoolKiller]

Pretty much this. Modifying genes (either natural or in a lab) is the only way to yield enough to sustain our growing human population. One could argue this is not sustainable (which it isn't), but starvation is not the way to fix that IMO.

That said I eat pretty much anything, though I'd prefer my protein to not be tortured. Another thing to keep in mind is that the bio-industry has pretty loose definitions of 'organic' and 'free range', so you would have to do some pretty thorough research to really know what's going down your throat.

I inadvertently wind up mostly eating animals that aren't "tortured." Most of my red meat comes from venison that my uncle hunts and butchers himself. The beef I buy comes from a local farm at our farmer's market for no reason other than it is just better quality beef than the grocery store has for a minimal markup. The woman selling it has to warn people that it cooks quicker because of its lower fat content. Benefits to field-raised, grass-fed beef I guess. We recently found we can buy pork from a local farm and are purchasing a quarter pig when they butcher them. We have to wait to get it because they aren't raised in a crowded environment and fed in a way to make them ready for market ASAP.

Chicken and fish are a different story. The difference between Purdue brand chicken (lacks the hormones and antibiotics, but I buy it because it is the only store-brand not injected with brine or some other salty mixture) and local, free-range chicken is huge. I can get Purdue on sale for $0.99/lb. $1.99 at the most expensive. The local stuff is $6 or more a pound. While that is still cheaper than eating out, a 3x-6x increase in price is felt.

As for fish, I don't care much about sustainability issues, but the prices on the kinds of fish that have sustainability issues are too high to enjoy regularly. So, often I buy the much cheaper farm-raised catfish, swai, or tilapia. I prefer calamari over anything, and that is the most sustainable seafood you can eat, so I look like I am being proactive when I am just driven by my wallet and taste preferences.


Ultimately, I am a true consumer. My choices are all made by price and taste preference. I prefer the taste and quality of meats not raised in corporate farm conditions. Game meat is delicious to me. Price helps on that one too. Game hens taste better than chicken and have a much smaller markup. And pricing has made unsustainable seafood a bit unsustainable on my wallet. Look at that, free market doing its job.


I recently discovered there is a seafood market in Lexington that gets seafood deliveries every three days, so I might have found a good land-locked fish monger. We plan to get out there and check them out soon.

 

[Johnnypenso]

I liked this sentence because cooked food is basically food cooked up in a lab, no matter where that food came from or how it was produced. It applied science to make food better/safer/etc.

I don't have a problem with people choosing to personally avoid genetically modified food, but playing with genes isn't a big deal. It happens in nature, and nature as is actually isn't the best for us. That's why we cook some foods in the first place.

Food isn't modified to make it better or safer, it's modified to increase yield often by tolerating herbicides and to help avoid crop loss or reduced yields for various reasons. In the macro, these are wonderful things. More people fed from less land and cheaper food. I get that. That doesn't mean it's necessarily the best choice for every individual. None of those things make GMO foods better for me other than potentially in my pocketbook which isn't always the case and is low on my list of concerns but of course, high on the list for many people.

 

[Exorcet]

Food isn't modified to make it better or safer, it's modified to increase yield often by tolerating herbicides and to help avoid crop loss or reduced yields for various reasons.

Well better can refer to a lot of things, including yield. Also, altering the genetics of plants/animals certainly has the potential to increase health and safety for us whether or not that's a big goal at the moment. How the food is processed is a different thing all together, you don't need to use herbicide on GMO crops.

The ideal for me would be that essentially 100% of food is modified. Get it right and there won't be any downsides. We could basically give food whatever properties we want or need for whatever reason, be it resilient crops, specific taste, or a desired effect on people when consumed. I'm not just talking about whatever is on the market now, but the future as well. GMO's probably have the biggest potential to benefit food production since irrigation, not just in amount, but quality.

 

[Joel]

I'm surprised organic isn't doing better in the poles. You'd think it was all anyone eats based on square footage in the supermarket.

Keep in mind you're posting on a video game forum which has a lot of teenage/early 20's users. I don't care to eat organic, but even if I did I simply wouldn't be able to afford it. It's only anecdotal but I know lots of my friends at school are essentially economic vegetarians. They eat mostly plant based meals with lots of beans, rice, lentils, veggies, etc. because they can't really afford to eat anything else. Whenever they're home with parents they eat a standard western diet but when they're buying their own groceries it's beans and rice.

I think that's why you're not seeing many organic votes on here. The square footage in a supermarket for organic food isn't really aimed at the people who by and large would be regulars on a video game forum. I know there's a lot of people with established careers and good incomes who post here, but I would imagine a lot of the lurkers and people who vote without posting are 20 somethings with not much money.

 

[Fat Tyre]

I tend to avoid healthy food. Don't know how, it just happens. I say to myself don't get a delicious double cheese burger and next thing I know I'm already taking the last bite out of it, it does make me happy though. Hmmm, burgers...

Edit: I did vote for the first one, how Foie Gras is made disgusting.

 

[Pseudopod]

I don't eat predatory mammals. Why bring GMO into an ethics discussion?

 

[Danoff]

Why bring GMO into an ethics discussion?

Some people feel that it is unethical for large corporations to modify genetics and pass it off as edible, as though it is an unholy evil plan to poison the population.

 

[Pseudopod]

So it's fine when small corporations do it. Got it.

It's not passed off as edible. It is edible. Your body can extract nutrients from it and you don't get sick = edible.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I'd like to say I'm not eating endangered animals - I don't, but not for moral reasons

This just reminded me that I own this tshirt. ..

 

[Johnnypenso]

Some people feel that it is unethical for large corporations to modify genetics and pass it off as edible, as though it is an unholy evil plan to poison the population.

There's no doubt it's edible, but as I said earlier, the GMO process isn't to benefit me in terms of food quality or nutrient value, it's to allow food producers to use certain insecticides and herbicides or have the plants themselves excrete substances to control insect infestation. The motive for GMO is profit, more crops, higher yields, not consumer health. The benefit to consumers is lower cost, more product on the market etc. but those aren't my concerns, I am concerned with the holy temple that is my body If you eat a lot of packaged or processed foods, you can't avoid GMO, as most corn, soy, canola and sugar beets and a few other common foods/products are GMO these days and at least one of those or a derivative thereof, is in pretty much every fast food or convenience food item to some degree. I eat almost zero packaged, processed or premade foods so for me it's easy to avoid. Those that I do eat are generally organic (cereals for example) or I've scoured the label to see what's in them and it passed the test.

My goal is always to eat as wide a variety of foods as possible, to get as wide a spread of nutrients as possible. Your body works best IMO, when it's given the widest range of nutrition possible in the way our bodies have come to expect it through millennia of evolution, which is through whole foods.

 

[Exorcet]

There's no doubt it's edible, but as I said earlier, the GMO process isn't to benefit me in terms of food quality or nutrient value, it's to allow food producers to use certain insecticides and herbicides or have the plants themselves excrete substances to control insect infestation. The motive for GMO is profit, more crops, higher yields, not consumer health.

No, GMO is not limited to that. You can basically get whatever you want.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150113090428.htm

Now if you're just avoiding the current crop of GMO's because they haven't introduced this benefit yet, that's one thing, but GMO foods stand to be better than naturally grown in basically every way once we get down to perfecting them.