Yesterday I was sitting on the couch watching TV, (as all good college students do when they don't have any plans for spring break) and I got a little freaked out when I saw this new infomercial. It's for a product called "Little Giant Blueberries". It's this genetically engineered blueberry plant that can produce 4 pints of blueberries everyday and grow up to 8ft tall in 90 days.
Oh brother.
Every summer my sister and I would run through the woods near our town lake, scouring for the wild blueberry bushes that were infested with tons of tiny blue dots of juicy goodness. Once picked, it would take days for the berries to grow back, and the bushes never grew taller than about a foot, let alone 8!
Watching this infomercial, I had to wonder how these berries could actually be good for you. They're advertised as an inexpensive way to get fresh fruit and thus - SURPRISE! - lose weight, but when a scientist is interviewed talking about the genetic benefits of these particular berries, I get a little frightened. I'm interested to know what you all think - here's the link to the website and their infomercial!
https://www.blueberrygiantplants.com/?mid=769997&a=55958&s=asotvr&ClickID=03_70971418_4f423fa5-4ba3-4d6b-9f13-71bd02803c27
I know I'll sound like a cranky old lady (get off my lawn with your fancy newfangled blueberry plants, you punks), but I don't trust it. You know those giant strawberries you see arriving in New England this time of year? They're packed full of genetic material from FISH. That's because the fish genes help the strawberries travel under refrigeration. These blueberries, well, I suspect them for being the product of simple tampering. Which might not be unhealthy, but it's just plain WEIRD and WRONG.
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