GE rice may soon be approved for human consumption. Photo illustration/Photos from IRRI, WIkimedia Commons
By now, you've likely heard about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the controversy over whether they're the
answer to world hunger or
the devil incarnate.
But for right now, let's leave aside that debate and turn to a more
basic question: When you go to the supermarket, do you know which foods
are most likely to be—or contain ingredients that are—genetically
engineered? A handy FAQ:
So what exactly are genetically modified organisms?
GMOs are plants or animals that have undergone a process wherein
scientists alter their genes with DNA from different species of living
organisms, bacteria, or viruses to get desired traits such as resistance
to disease or tolerance of pesticides.
But haven't farmers been selectively breeding crops to get larger harvests for centuries? How is this any different?
Over at
Grist, Nathanael Johnson has a great
answer to this question—but in a nutshell: Yes, farmers throughout history have been raising their plants to achieve
certain desired traits
such as improved taste, yield, or disease resistance. But this kind of
breeding still relies on the natural reproductive processes of the
organisms, where as genetic engineering involves the addition of foreign
genes that would not occur in nature.
Am I eating GMOs?
Probably. Since several common ingredients like corn starch and soy
protein are predominantly derived from genetically modified crops, it's
pretty hard to avoid GM foods altogether. In fact, GMOs are present in
60 to 70 percent of foods on US supermarket shelves, according to Bill
Freese at the
Center for Food Safety;
the vast majority of processed foods contain GMOs. One major exception
is fresh fruits and veggies. The only GM produce you're likely to find
is the Hawaiian papaya, a small amount of zucchini and squash, and some
sweet corn. No meat, fish, and poultry products approved for direct
human consumption are bioengineered
at this point,
though most of the feed for livestock and fish is derived from GM corn,
alfalfa, and other biotech grains. Only organic varieties of these
animal products are guaranteed GMO-free feed.
So what are some examples of food that are genetically modified?
1. Papayas: In the 1990s, Hawaiian papaya trees were plagued by the
ringspot virus
which decimated nearly half the crop in the state. In 1998, scientists
developed a transgenic fruit called Rainbow papaya, which is resistant
to the virus. Now
77 percent of the crop grown in Hawaii is genetically engineered (GE).
2. Milk: RGBH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone,
is a GE variation on a naturally occurring hormone injected into dairy
cows to increase milk production. It is banned for milk destined for
human consumption in the European Union, Canada, New Zealand, and
Australia. Many milk brands that are rGBH-free label their milk as such,
but as much as
40 percent of our dairy products, including ice cream and cheese, contains the hormone.
3. Corn on the cob: While
90 percent of corn
grown in the United States is genetically modified, most of that crop
is used for animal feed or ethanol and much of the rest ends up in
processed foods. Sweet corn—the stuff that you steam or grill on the
barbecue and eat on the cob—was GMO-free until last year when Monsanto
rolled out
its first GE harvest of sweet corn. While consumers successfully petitioned Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to not carry the variety,
Walmart has begun stocking the shelves with it without any label.
4. Squash and zucchini: While the majority of
squashes on the market are not GE, approximately 25,000 acres of
crookneck, straightneck, and zucchinis have been
bioengineered to be virus resistant.
5. "All natural" foods: Be wary of this label if
you're trying to avoid GE foods. Right now there is no strict definition
of what constitutes a natural food. This could be changing soon as
federal court judges
recently requested
the Food and Drug Administration to determine whether the term can be
used to describe foods containing GMOs to help resolve pending class
action suits against General Mills, Campbell Soup Co., and the tortilla
manufacturer Gruma Corp.
Are there any foods I've heard might be genetically modified—but actually aren't?
1. Potatoes: In 1995,
Monsanto introduced genetically modified potatoes for human consumption, but after pressure from consumers,
McDonald's and several other major fast food chains told their French fry suppliers to stop growing GE potatoes. The crop has since been removed from the market.
2. Seedless watermelon: While it would seem
plausible that a fruit that produces no seeds has been bioengineered,
the seedless watermelon is a hybrid of two separate breeds. It has been
nicknamed the "
mule of the watermelon world."
3. Salmon: Currently no meat, fish, or egg products
are genetically engineered, though a company called Aqua Bounty has an
application in with the FDA to approve its
GE salmon.
4. Soy milk: While
93 percent of soy grown in the United States is genetically engineered, most major brands of soy milk are GMO-free.
Silk, the best-selling soy milk brand in the country,
joined the Non-GMO Project in 2010. Many popular tofu brands in the United States also sell GMO-free tofu products.
*
5. Rice: A
staple food for nearly half the world's population, there are currently
no varieties of GM rice approved for human consumption. However, that could soon change. A genetically modified variety called
golden rice being developed in the Philippines has been
altered to include beta-carotene, a source of vitamin A. Backers are lauding it as a way to
alleviate nutrient deficiency for the populations in developing countries.
How about organic foods?
Since the late '90s, USDA organic standards have
prohibited any genetically modified ingredients. Originally, the agency tried to include GE foods under the organic umbrella, but it backed down in 2002 after a massive
public outcry to save organic standards.
How long have I been eating GE food?
Scientists conducted the first GE food trials the late 1980s, and in
1994, a biotech company called Calgene released the first GMO approved
for human consumption: the "
Flavr Savr tomato,"
designed to stay ripe on the vine longer without getting squishy. The
product, which Monsanto eventually picked up, flopped, but it paved the
way for others: Biotech companies have made billions since with GE corn,
soy bean, cotton, and canola.
Aren't food companies required to let me know whether their products contain GMOs?
Not in the United States. Sixty-four developing and developed countries
require GMO food labeling, according to Freese at the Center for Food
Safety. You may have heard about the recent string of "Right to Know"
bills in state assemblies across the country. The bills are aimed to
require food companies to label any products that contain genetically
modified organisms.
Connecticut and
Maine
recently passed laws that would require food manufacturers to reveal GE
ingredients on product packaging, but those laws won't go into effect
until other states adopt similar measures. Americans overwhelmingly
support such laws, with
poll after poll
showing that over 90 percent of respondents support mandatory labeling.
Biotech companies and the food industry say that such labeling would be
expensive and pointless since genetically engineered foods have been
declared safe for human consumption.
So if the food is safe, what's all the fuss about them?
First off, not everyone agrees that GMOs are safe to eat, especially
over the long term. The European Union remains decidedly skeptical, with
very
few approved GE crops
grown on the continent and mandatory labeling in place for products
that contain GMOs. Some scientists fear that GMOs could cause
allergies in humans. Others point to the
environmental consequences of the farming of GE crops.
How do GMOs affect the environment?
One word:
Pesticides.
Hundreds of millions of extra pounds of pesticides. The six biggest
producers of GE seeds—Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow Agrosciences, BASF, Bayer,
and Pioneer (DuPont)—are also the
biggest producers of chemical herbicides and insecticides.
Monsanto's Roundup Ready crops, for example, are genetically engineered
to be immune to herbicide so that farmers can destroy weeds without
killing their cash crops. But the process has spawned Roundup resistant
weeds, leading farmers to apply
greater and greater doses of the chemical or even resort to more toxic methods to battle back the superweeds.
Where can I learn more about GMOs?
Mother Jones'
Tom Philpott writes critically about GMOs often. In this 2011
Scientific American piece, Brendan Borrell lays out the pro-GMO
case very well.
Grist's
Nathanael Johnson has written several posts that clarify the basic science behind GE crops, and a
New York Times Room for Debate
from 2009 offers a pretty good synopsis of the controversy. Food policy
wonks might enjoy perusing the Food and Agriculture Organization's
page on biotechnology in agriculture; if you're looking for a more entertaining way to educate yourself, a documentary called
GMO OMG opens in select theaters this fall.
Clarification: Previously this story stated
most tofu sold in the United States is GMO-free. While the top-selling
US tofu brand Nasoya and many other major manufacturers in the US have items verified by the Non-GMO Project, this doesn't necessarily encompass all tofu products.
