GENETICALLY MODIFIED

FOODS
Genetically modified (GM) foods are food items that
have had their DNA changed through genetic
engineering. Unlike conventional genetic modification
that is carried out through conventional

breeding and that

have been
consumed for
thousands of
years, GM foods
were first put on
the market in the
early 1990s.

The most common modified foods

are derived from plants: soybean,
corn, canola, and cotton seed oil.
 ADVANTAGES OF GM FOODS

After a 12 years of use on more than 690.9 million hectares

worldwide, plant biotechnology delivers proven economic and
environmental benefits, a solid record of safe use and
promising products for our future. 90 percent of who farm in
developing countries have choose to plant biotech crops.

International regulatory standards for GM crops are affirmed

by a decade of safe use.
Biotech crops are among the most studied and reviewed
foods in the world. Using well-established, internationally
accepted standards of risk assessment, regulatory
authorities worldwide have reviewed all biotech crops now
on the market and determined that they pose no more risk
than crops produced through traditional breeding methods.
Each year, global population grows by more than 70 million,
and agriculture is required to produce more food with limited
land and water resources. Scientists believe biotechnology
holds great potential to help farmers produce more food —
and healthier food — with fewer resources.
A proven 12-year history of safe use supports the conclusion
that the regulatory process has been successful. Experts
estimate more than 1 trillion meals containing ingredients
from biotech crops have been consumed with no reliable
documentation of any food safety issues for people or
animals.
Over the next decade, biotechnology promises to deliver
products that address land and resource limitations, such as
improved drought tolerance, saline tolerance and increased
yields. The research also will deliver products with direct
consumer benefits such as enhanced nutrition, convenience
and taste.
For example:
Food ingredients in which the major allergenic proteins are
modified or eliminated.
Rice enriched with beta-carotene, which stimulates
production of vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency causes
blindness in 500,000 children and up to 2 million deaths
annually.
Plants that can tolerate stress from harsh environments —
such as arid or saline soils, cold environments or low
nutrient availability — and continue to produce food.
Farmers have decreased pesticide applications by 289,000
metric tons.
Consumers consistently rank a reduction in pesticide
applications as the most valuable benefit of plant
biotechnology — which is important since farmers have
significantly reduced pesticide sprayings, while conserving
the water and fuel otherwise depleted with tillage or plowing.
Since 1996, the use of GM soybeans has been one of the
largest contributors to reduced pesticide applications,
accounting for cumulative reductions of 41,000 metric tons.
YieldGard corn rootworm is expected to eliminate one million
plastic containers, 68,845 gallons of aviation fuel, 5 million
gallons of water used in insecticide formulations, 5 million
pounds of insecticide active ingredient, and 5 million gallons
of diesel fuel per year.
GM crops benefit the environment and conserve natural
habitat for wildlife.
One of the advantages of gentecially modified foods and
crops is the reduced need for tillage or plowing, allowing
farmers to adopt conservation or “no-till” practices. In the
United States alone, these practices and other conservation
measures are reducing soil erosion by 1 billion tons and
saving consumers $3.5 billion in water treatment costs
annually.
Biotech crops also have played an important role in boosting
the productivity of existing farmland — enough to allow for
the protection of at least 400 million acres of prairies, forests
and other natural areas from cultivation over the past decade.
These areas provide food and shelter for wildlife and
preserve biodiversity.
Farmers growing biotech crops increased their income by
US$34 billion.
Farmers have increased income through higher yields and
lower production costs — including fewer pesticide
applications and the more efficient use of farm labor.
Research indicates an increase in income is consistent
worldwide with significant economic benefits realized by
small- and large-scale farmers alike.
A century of discoveries and scientific research make plant
biotechnology possible.
People have always strived to grow better, more plentiful
foods. As early as 5000 BC, farmers began saving their best
and sweetest corn to use as seed the next year. But it wasn’t
until 1865 that Mendel concluded “unseen particles” pass
these traits from generation to generation.
Researchers then began to understand DNA and determined
that the cells of all living things are composed of the same
basic components. In 1953, Watson and Crick defined the
structure of DNA, allowing us to understand how cells store,
duplicate and pass genetic information. By 1973, Cohen and
Boyer had isolated and moved a gene — a specific piece of
DNA — from one organism to another.
Each of these discoveries paved the way for great
improvements in plant breeding. In 1982, researchers
genetically modified a plant cell for the first time — making
precise, controlled improvements in plant breeding possible.
Farmers planted the first large-scale commercial biotech crop
in the United States in 1996.
Today, after a decade of use on more than 1 billion acres
worldwide, crops developed through biotechnology have
delivered significant benefits and a proven record of safe
use. The next decade with plant biotechnology holds even
more promise.