GMOS 101: Your Basic Questions Answered
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Is it called GMO or What GMO crops are Why do we have GMOs? Do GMOs affect your feed your mind something else? out there? health? Humans have used traditional ways to modify crops and animals to suit their needs and tastes for “GMO” has become the common term Only a few types of GMO crops are grown in the GMO foods are as healthful and safe to eat as more than 10,000 years. Cross-breeding, selective consumers and popular media use to describe United States, but some of these GMOs make up their non-GMO counterparts. Some GMO plants breeding, and mutation breeding are examples of foods that have been created through genetic a large percentage of the crop grown (e.g., have actually been modified to improve their traditional ways to make these changes. These engineering. This term is not generally used soybeans, corn, sugar beets, canola, and cotton). nutritional value. An example is GMO soybeans 4 breeding methods often involve mixing all of the to refer to plants or animals developed with In 2018, GMO soybeans made up 94% of all with healthier oils that can be used to replace genes from two different sources. They are used to selective breeding, like the common garden soybeans planted, GMO cotton made up 94% of oils that contain trans fats. Since GMO foods create common crops like modern corn varieties5 strawberries available today that were created all cotton planted, and 92% of corn planted was were introduced in the 1990s, research6 has S and seedless watermelon. GMO 101: Your Basic from a cross between a species native to North GMO corn. Most GMO crops are used in food for shown that they are just as safe as non-GMO America and a species native to South America. animals like cows, chickens, and fish. They are foods. Additionally, research7 shows that GMO Modern technology now allows scientists to use While “genetic engineering” is the term typically also used to make ingredients that are then used plants fed to farm animals are as safe as genetic engineering to take just a beneficial gene, used by scientists, you will start seeing the in food products like cereal, snack chips, and non-GMO animal food. Questions Answered “bioengineered” label on some of the foods vegetable oils. Even though you won’t find many like insect resistance or drought tolerance, and we eat in the United States because of the GMO fruits or vegetables in the produce section transfer it into a plant. The reasons for genetic new National Bioengineered Food Disclosure of your grocery store, GMOs are a common part modification today are similar to what they were Standard.2 of today’s food supply. thousands of years ago: higher crop yields, less Do GMO plants reduce crop loss, longer storage life, better appearance, GMO foods have been available to consumers since the early 1990s. Since then, better nutrition, or some combination of these traits. pesticide use? the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have worked together to ensure Some GMO plants contain plant-incorporated that crops produced through genetic engineering are safe for people, animals, and protectants (PIPs)8 to make them resistant to insects, reducing the need for and use of many the environment. Despite there being a wide range of foods—GMO and spray pesticides.9 As another safety measure, non-GMO—available to consumers, there is some confusion around what GMOs EPA works with developers and scientists to help are and how they are used in our food supply. develop GMOs that will resist insects for as long as possible through their Insect Resistance Management program.10 Other GMO plants are developed to tolerate certain weed killers, which What makes it a GMO? allows farmers a wide variety of options for weed control. Some people are concerned that A GMO (genetically modified organism) is a plant, farmers who grow these GMOs will use more animal, or microorganism that has had its genetic weed killers. While this is sometimes the case, material (DNA) changed using technology that EPA regulates the safety of all weed killers that generally involves the specific modification of farmers use on GMO crops and non-GMO crops 11 DNA, including the transfer of specific DNA from alike. EPA also shares information to help one organism to another. Scientists often refer farmers who are concerned about weeds to this process as genetic engineering.1 developing resistance to weed killers. March 2020 — 1 Is it called GMO or What GMO crops are Why do we have GMOs? Do GMOs affect your something else? out there? health? Humans have used traditional ways to modify crops and animals to suit their needs and tastes for “GMO” has become the common term Only a few types of GMO crops are grown in the GMO foods are as healthful and safe to eat as more than 10,000 years. Cross-breeding, selective consumers and popular media use to describe United States, but some of these GMOs make up their non-GMO counterparts. Some GMO plants breeding, and mutation breeding are examples of foods that have been created through genetic a large percentage of the crop grown (e.g., have actually been modified to improve their traditional ways to make these changes. These engineering. This term is not generally used soybeans, corn, sugar beets, canola, and cotton). nutritional value. An example is GMO soybeans 4 breeding methods often involve mixing all of the to refer to plants or animals developed with In 2018, GMO soybeans made up 94% of all with healthier oils that can be used to replace genes from two different sources. They are used to selective breeding, like the common garden soybeans planted, GMO cotton made up 94% of oils that contain trans fats. Since GMO foods create common crops like modern corn varieties5 strawberries available today that were created all cotton planted, and 92% of corn planted was were introduced in the 1990s, research6 has and seedless watermelon. from a cross between a species native to North GMO corn. Most GMO crops are used in food for shown that they are just as safe as non-GMO America and a species native to South America. animals like cows, chickens, and fish. They are foods. Additionally, research7 shows that GMO Modern technology now allows scientists to use While “genetic engineering” is the term typically also used to make ingredients that are then used plants fed to farm animals are as safe as genetic engineering to take just a beneficial gene, used by scientists, you will start seeing the in food products like cereal, snack chips, and non-GMO animal food. “bioengineered” label on some of the foods vegetable oils. Even though you won’t find many like insect resistance or drought tolerance, and we eat in the United States because of the GMO fruits or vegetables in the produce section transfer it into a plant. The reasons for genetic new National Bioengineered Food Disclosure of your grocery store, GMOs are a common part modification today are similar to what they were Standard.2 of today’s food supply. thousands of years ago: higher crop yields, less Do GMO plants reduce crop loss, longer storage life, better appearance, better nutrition, or some combination of these traits. pesticide use? A complete list of GMO crops currently Some GMO plants contain plant-incorporated 8 Did you know? available in the United States: protectants (PIPs) to make them resistant to insects, reducing the need for and use of many spray pesticides.9 As another safety measure, Bioengineered food is the EPA works with developers and scientists to help term that Congress used develop GMOs that will resist insects for as long to describe certain types Alfalfa Papaya as possible through their Insect Resistance of GMOs when they passed Management program.10 Other GMO plants are the National Bioengineered developed to tolerate certain weed killers, which What makes it a GMO? Food Disclosure Standard. Apples Potatoes allows farmers a wide variety of options for weed The Standard defines control. Some people are concerned that farmers who grow these GMOs will use more A GMO (genetically modified organism) is a plant, bioengineered foods3 as weed killers. While this is sometimes the case, animal, or microorganism that has had its genetic those that contain detectable Canola Soybeans material (DNA) changed using technology that EPA regulates the safety of all weed killers that genetic material that has generally involves the specific modification of farmers use on GMO crops and non-GMO crops been modified through certain 11 DNA, including the transfer of specific DNA from Summer alike. EPA also shares information to help one organism to another. Scientists often refer lab techniques and cannot be Corn squash farmers who are concerned about weeds to this process as genetic engineering.1 created through conventional developing resistance to weed killers. breeding or found in nature. Sugar Cotton beets Non-GMO versions of these crops are also available. March 2020 — 2 Is it called GMO or What GMO crops are Why do we have GMOs? Do GMOs affect your something else? out there? health? Humans have used traditional ways to modify crops and animals to suit their needs and tastes for “GMO” has become the common term Only a few types of GMO crops are grown in the GMO foods are as healthful and safe to eat as more than 10,000 years. Cross-breeding, selective consumers and popular media use to describe United States, but some of these GMOs make up their non-GMO counterparts.