Hey Mr. Green,

What’s the more environmentally responsible choice at an Asian restaurant? GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) tofu, or CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) chicken?

—John, in Eugene, Oregon

Well, John, I have to confess I’ve been wary of comparisons ever since I made the mortally embarrassing claim that BP was the “best” oil company, but here goes:

It may be better to choose the GMO tofu over the CAFO chicken for the simple reason that most U.S. CAFO chickens are fed on GMO crops anyway—half the U.S. soybean crop goes to chickens, and most of that crop is GMO. On top of this, CAFOs are riddled with environmental and health problems above and beyond the environmental hazards of GMO chicken feed: CAFOs pollute air and water because they treat manure like sewage rather than valuable fertilizer; their use of antibiotics on animals breeds bacteria that makes some antibiotics fail when humans are treated with the medications (though some companies, e.g., Tyson, have pledged to phase out such antibiotics ). So CAFO chickens just multiply the problems already lurking in their GMO feed.

Notice that I wisely hedged by saying it may be better to choose tofu made from GMO soybeans. There are just too many unknowns about GMOs to be certain. For example, a study for the World Health Organization has found that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto company’s Roundup, is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” And GMO beans are engineered to tolerate Roundup, which has greatly increased the use of this weed poison. Other studies indicate that Roundup is also a hormone disrupter that, among other problems, may damage fetuses. There is also evidence that the chemicals used to make the glyphosate stick to and penetrate plants amplify its toxicity. (The poison was approved based on testing the active ingredient, but not in combination with other stuff in the mix.) On top of all this are some unresolved questions about whether inserting genes from entirely different species, Brazil nuts, for example, into the soybean creates other hazards. Therefore, to cut through the confusion, invoke the precautionary principle, “better safe than sorry,” and beg, plead, cajole your restaurant to provide organic or at least pesticide-free tofu and organic chickens raised at non-CAFO farms.