Genetic engineers just found a new way to put farmers in
poor countries out of business.
Isn't it so inspiring to see global corporate giants crush small farmers, stomp on nature, circumvent our laws by hook or crook, and deceive and gouge consumers?
Welcome once again to
the phantasmagoric world of DNA manipulators. In particular, this branch of
genetic engineering wizardry calls itself “synthetic biology.”
Huh? Yes, that
oxymoron means “fake life.” But the term is also moronic, for it’s the name of
a crude and costly attempt by high-tech alchemists at such corporate powers as
BASF and Cargill to genetically modify microorganisms to produce something
wholly unnecessary: artificial flavorings and fragrances.
One of their first “achievements” is to use a powerful form of gene-altering technology to re-engineer yeast and make synthetic vanilla.
Hello — of all the
world’s needs, why put so much money and scientific energy into something
that’s stocked in every grocery store, both in a natural and artificial form?
Also, this corporate
wizardry creates a massive threat to the livelihoods of thousands of small
tropical farmers in developing nations. Madagascar, for example, one of the
world’s poorest countries, has 80,000 farmers whose
only reliable cash crop is the vanilla bean.
“I really count on
that to make a living,” a Madagascar farmer told The New York Times.
Well, sniff the
faraway synthetic makers (a Swiss outfit called Evolva), we can do it cheaper.
But “can do” is not the same as “will do.” Even though the lab-made vanilla is
not as good as nature’s own, corporations will use their political and
marketing muscle to capture the market and jack-up prices.
Advertising gimmickry
is already in play, for the synthetic biology industry is insisting that its
fake stuff is a “natural” product. By that logic, the industry claims, this
vanilla need not be labeled as a genetically engineered food — even though it
is — in countries that make sure consumers get this information.
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is
a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s also editor of the
populist newsletter, The Hightower
Lowdown. OtherWords.org