I was under the impression that almost all products that we grow and eat are greatly modified (usually through selective breeding) from the wild/heirloom versions to maximize size, flavor, crop yields, etc. How do non-GMO products work if they appear to be the same “domesticated” produce? Does selective breeding not count?
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It’s largely the same thing, enhancing beneficial qualities and diminishing unwanted ones, just massively sped up and more precise because you can make the exact targeted changes you want instead of guiding nature to stumble along in your preferred direction for many generations.
The line of true difference, imo, can be drawn at GMO techniques being able to introduce changes that nature couldn’t/wouldn’t. A plant might never evolve resistance against an overwhelmingly powerful pesticide, but we can engineer that (to some degree). That’s not a bad thing in itself by any means, but of course it opens the doors to some less savoury business practices. We all love to hate Monsanto.
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