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Budweiser Vetos Genetically Modified Rice

Posted by timothy on from the squeeze-in-a-cheap-shot dept.

fishdan writes "Anheuser-Busch the makers of Budweiser and other beers, has stated that they will not buy rice from Missouri if genetically modified crops are allowed in the state. Budweiser is claimed to be the best selling beer in the world Bud Light is the second best selling. I wonder about the stats of Tsing Tao I'm not sure what they're afraid of from genetically modified rice. Do they think their beer could get any worse?"

12 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. because not only americans drink it by feandil · · Score: 4, Interesting

    there are plenty of people in the world who do not want anything to do with biotech food or drinks, so if it was known that budweiser contain GMO their sales would plummet in the world, especially in europe.

    1. Re:because not only americans drink it by sfjoe · · Score: 4, Interesting


      Beer isn't the only thing. California has banned GM rice because the largest consumer of California rice is Japan and they will NOT buy GM rice.
      Personally, I haven't made up my mind one way or another. However, having been lied to any number of times by people whose only motivation is profit, the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt is on the corporations.

      --
      It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
  2. Beer? by Prien715 · · Score: 4, Funny

    All this time I thought Buddweiser only sold water!

    --
    -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
  3. They are afraid... by jangobongo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm not sure what they're afraid of from genetically modified rice.

    They are afraid that they will lose customers. Since the public has not made up its mind as to whether genetically modified foods are safe to ingest, Budweiser does not want to alienate anyone who purchases their products.

    Remember, people are afraid of the unknown. "Will it cause cancer?", "Am I going to turn into a mutant??", etc.

    --

    Sig cancelled due to lack of interest
    1. Re:They are afraid... by moof1138 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This has nothing to do with cancer fears or even GM food. The modified rice is genetically enhanced with synthetic human genes to produce lactoferrin and lysozyme, which are intended to be used in medicines so they would be very likely affect someone who consumed them. They are afraid that the modified rice could cross pollinate with standard rice. It is well known that pollen can travel large distances, so the possibility of contamination is very real and could in theory have serious negative consequences. It may be that their concerns are unfounded, but that is really something that only an expert could make the call on.

      --

      Hyperbole is the worst thing ever.
  4. Re:But does it taste different? by tOaOMiB · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you RTFA, you'd notice that this is not about genetically modifying rice to have to grow better or faster. This is about a drug company that wants to use rice to produce human proteins to be used at drugs--not rice for consumption! The fear here (from Anheuser-Busch) is about cross-pollination with normal rice strains.

  5. Real Beer has no rice by gvc · · Score: 4, Informative

    Where I come from, beer is made from barley, hops, yeast and water.

    Not rice, corn or potatoes.

    1. Re:Real Beer has no rice by Guido+von+Guido · · Score: 4, Informative
      How did this get modded informative? First, even the Germans make plenty of wheat beer. Last I checked, malted wheat ain't barley.

      Second, the quality of the finished product has little to do with whether or not the brewer uses rice, corn or potatoes. Budweiser sucks because they use less malt and hops than in a traditional pilsner, and because they go to extraordinary efforts to remove whatever flavor they do add to the beer.

      For that matter, I've had some excellent beers made with all three of your verboten grains (yes, including potatoes), and some of the best beers in the world are made with added sugar.

      For an example of a classic beer made with corn, check out the Classic American Pilsner. This is a style of beer brewed in America before Prohibition, and which was revived in large part through the efforts of homebrewer Jeff Renner. Unfortunately, it is true that there aren't any good commercial examples.

  6. Another Misleading Story... by tOaOMiB · · Score: 5, Informative

    Please do note that this is not a story about Budweiser not using GMO. In fact, there is nothing that says they are even against GM rice--just rice being modified to produce drugs grow outside, where it can potentially crosspollinate with rice meant for consumption. While the summary states that Anheuser-Busch "will not buy rice from Missouri if genetically modified crops are allowed in the state," the article clearly states they "won't buy rice from Missouri if genetically modified, drug-making crops are allowed to be grown in the state."

    The trolling summary then continues on with links to the popularity of Bud and the uprising Tsing Tao for no obvious reason.

  7. This decision on GM rice says a lot about.... by scupper · · Score: 4, Interesting

    what Anheuser-Busch thinks of it's customers, about who they see as their potential new customers, and how they approach advertising to them.

    They are fearful, not of the average white american's reaction to GM rice, but of the reaction from Hispanics, who are coming from agrarian cultures, and are doubly suspicious of any gm agri products, especially corn and rice.

    Hispanics also represent the fastest growing group of drinkers of "Bud".

  8. genetically modified rice by wertarbyte · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't know which scenario is scarier: modified rice, or rice in a beer!?

    --
    Life is just nature's way of keeping meat fresh.
  9. Re:To hear many foreigners talk about US beer by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Pretentious beer drinker here...

    Simply put, Budweiser tastes like hobo ass. The only lager that tastes worse, IMO is Foster's. They both have the defining characteristic of wickedly nasty aftertaste.

    As a Guinness drinker, I'm blond-beer biased anyway, but in those rare instances when that's not available, there's a dozen beers I'd rather have first. Heineken is quite smooth, Castlemaine XXXX has a nice punch to it, for example.

    Disclaimer: I have not tried any of the American bargain beers: Pabst, Schlitz, Colt 45, etc., so I could ultimately be wrong.

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!