GMO Crops: Safety, Regulation and Sustainability Insights
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are a popular topic in today’s conversations about food and farming, and many of us have heard of or read food labels stating “contains bioengineered ingredients” (another way of referring to GMOs). While many of us are familiar with the term GMO, not all of us are quite sure what it is—only, perhaps, that we are advised to avoid them by some people. A 2018 consumer survey by the IFIC found that more than one-third (36 percent) of respondents said they know very little or nothing at all about bioengineered or genetically modified foods, identical to the number who say they know at least a fair amount. Despite the low level of knowledge, a higher volume of respondents (47 percent) said they avoid GMO foods at least somewhat. But when we hear or read “GMO” or “bioengineered food,” do we ever think of the terms “safety,” “regulation” or “sustainability”? If not, IFIC is here to tell you that we should. Let’s look at how these three positive attributes are intertwined with GMOs and what that means for our food supply. Safety signals GMO foods have been part of our food system for more than two decades. The GMO crops available in the U.S.—soybeans, corn (field and sweet), canola, cotton (used in cottonseed oil production), alfalfa, sugar beets, summer squash, papaya, apples and potatoes—are as safe and nutritious as their non-GMO counterparts. The science behind their safety has been evaluated extensively over the past 20 years, including an in-depth analysis performed by 50 scientists that worked on a 2016 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report for more than two years. The NAS scientific cohort examined relevant literature (including more than 900 publications), heard from 80 diverse speakers at three public meetings and 15 webinars, and read […]
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