What is a GMO?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)—now referred to as bioengineered (BE) products, are new varieties of familiar foods that are produced in a laboratory by editing a plant or animal’s genes, sometimes by inserting genes from one plant or animal into another type of plant or animal. BE ingredients are found in the majority of packaged and processed goods produced in the United States.

What is a bioengineered food?

USDA defines a bioengineered food as a “food that contains genetic material that has been modified through certain laboratory techniques and for which the modification could not be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature.”

Bioengineering differs from what USDA refers to as conventional, or traditional, breeding, which includes techniques such as hybridization and selective breeding. Hybridization is commonplace and can occur naturally – many people are familiar with mules, which is the result of a donkey mating with a horse. One hybrid plant is the boysenberry, a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. Examples of selective breeding include mating only the healthiest beef cattle or saving the seeds of only the tastiest, most pest-resistant tomatoes for next year's crop. These traditional breeding techniques have been a central part of agriculture for 10,000 years and have been used to domesticate and increase yields of virtually every plant and animal found in agriculture today.

A controversial topic

Bioengineering brings up strong feelings in people on both sides of the issue. Many believe that because the long-term effects of BE food on human health, wildlife and our environment are not yet known, they should be strictly regulated until further study has been done.

There is scientific evidence that suggests bioengineered field crops (corn, soy) that have been modified to include herbicide-resistant genes have led farmers to use more chemicals on their fields, rather than less and studies have found that increased herbicide use leads to more resistant weeds, which then require different or more chemicals.

The threat of contamination from BE crops is particularly unsettling to organic farmers. In nature, plants naturally distribute their pollen near and far, spreading their genetic material from one plant to another. In this way, BE pollen can contaminate organic plants. To maintain their certification, organic farmers must go to extra expense and take extra precautions to ensure their crops are not contaminated with BE pollen. This threatens an organic farmer’s livelihood.

Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project verification

Certified organic and non-GMO Project verified products do not contain BE ingredients. USDA regulations prohibit the use of BE seeds in organic production, and the Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit organization that started to protect people’s right to know what is in the food they purchase.