What Are GMOs?

When people refer to genetically modified organisms - GMOs - they are referring to crops
developed through genetic engineering, a more precise method of plant breeding. Genetic
engineering, also referred to as biotechnology, allows plant breeders to take a
desirable trait found in nature and transfer it from one plant or organism to the plant they want to
improve, as well as make a change to an existing trait in a plant they are developing. Some
examples of desirable traits commonly transferred include resistance to insects and disease and
tolerance to herbicides that allow farmers to better control weeds.

Why Grow GMOs?

GMOs are created to achieve a desired trait, such as resistance to a pest or tolerance to
drought conditions. The 10 genetically modified crops available today include: alfalfa, apples,
canola, corn (field and sweet), cotton, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, squash and sugar beets.
GM crops were created for:

 Insect resistance. This category of traits provides farmers with season-long protection
against target pests, reduces the need for pesticide applications, and lowers input costs.

 Drought tolerance. GM crops that express drought tolerance have better moisture
retention and can better endure drought conditions without the need for additional
irrigation.

 Herbicide tolerance. Crops developed to tolerate specific herbicides allow farmers to

fight weeds by applying targeted herbicides only when needed and enable them to use
conservation tillage production methods that preserve topsoil, prevent erosion, and
reduce carbon emissions.

 Disease resistance. Through genetic engineering plant breeders can enable plants to
resist certain diseases, like the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). The GM Rainbow
Papaya, developed to be resistant to PRSV, allowed Hawaiian papaya farmers to
recover from an outbreak of this devastating disease that crippled their industry.

 Enhanced nutritional content. Genetically modified soybeans with an enhanced oil

profile, much like olive oil, have been developed and are longer lasting and trans-fat
free.

 Reduced food waste. Genetic engineering has been used to modify potatoes and
apples in order to eliminate superficial browning and bruising (potato only) when the
produce is cut or handled. These traits can help reduce the amount of produce thrown
away by producers, processors, retailers and consumers.

 Improved manufacturing processes. Certain biotech corn varieties enable more

efficient biofuels production by improving the process through which cellulose and/or
starch is broken down and converted to fuel. This helps reduce the environmental
impact of the manufacturing process by decreasing the amount of water, electricity, and
natural gas needed to produce biofuel.
How GMOs Are Made
Farmers have selectively cultivated plants for thousands of years, choosing a plant, for
example, based on its ability to survive certain conditions or on how many seeds it
produces. Farmers also sought to improve plants by crossing them with related species that had
other desirable characteristics. This type of selective, or traditional, breeding involves crossing
thousands of genes. Genetically modified organisms are the product of a targeted process
where a few select genes are transferred into a plant to produce a desired trait.

When scientists create a genetically modified plant, the process begins by identifying a desired
trait. That trait may be resistance to an insect or the ability to tolerate drought
conditions. Scientists look for those genes in nature by seeking other organisms, including other
plants and microbes, which exhibit the trait they want to express in a genetically modified
plant. Once they have identified a trait and isolated the specific gene or genes that control the
trait, the next step in development is to transfer the desired gene into a crop plant.

The improved plant is then extensively tested, and researchers look for differences between the
GM plant and its conventional counterpart. Just as with other breeding methods, plants that do
not perform are not selected to move through the development process and will not reach the
market. GM plant “performance” includes meeting stringent safety testing requirements.

Before a GMO plant reaches the market, more than 75 different studies are performed on
genetically modified crops to ensure they are safe for people, animals, and the environment.
This data is reviewed by up to three regulatory agencies in the U.S. - USDA, EPA and FDA –
and the GM plant must be approved by these agencies before it can be commercialized. Global
regulatory agencies in more than 75 countries have reviewed the safety of genetically modified
crops and have found no risk.
GMOs And Nutrition

GMO Food Crops

There is no nutritional difference between GMOs and their non-GMO counterpart,
unless the nutritional content of the GM crops has been intentionally modified, like high
oleic soybeans, or biofortified crops, such as Golden Rice.
In the spring of 2016, The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine
(NAS) issued a report confirming the safety of GMOs and also their compositional and
nutritional equivalency with non-GMO foods. The NAS confirms, “Statistically significant
differences in nutrient and chemical composition have been found between GE
(genetically engineered) and non-GE plants by using traditional methods of
compositional analysis, but the difference have been considered to fall within the range
of naturally occurring variation found in currently available non-GE crops.” Click here to
read the full report.
In addition, here is an example of a compositional study on GM papaya vs non-GM
papaya. The study shows that the levels of vitamins and other nutrients in GM and non-
GM papayas are the same.
While most GMO crops are nutritionally equivalent to their non-GMO counterpart,
enhancing a crop’s nutritional value is one of the many uses of genetic engineering.
Genetically modified high oleic soybeans with an enhanced oil profile, much like olive
oil, have been developed and are longer lasting and trans-fat free. Another example is
the Innate potato that has lower levels of asparagine, which when heated, turns into
acrylamide, a potential carcinogen. If a GMO crop’s nutritional content has been
intentionally modified, that specific characteristic will be noted on the food package
label.
GMO Vitamins and Crop Biofortification
Genetically modified microorganisms are used to create some of our most essential
vitamins. Examples of vitamins created through genetic modification are vitamin A,
vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12 (riboflavin), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and vitamin D.
There are several ways that genetically modified microorganisms are used to create
vitamins, including utilizing a natural bacteria (Bacillus subtilis), while others are derived
from GM crops, such as corn, soy, and sugar beets. GMO vitamins can be found in
supplements and in food.
As some companies move away from GMO products in an effort to claim to be GMO-
free, their products suffer from reduced vitamin content, as they must eliminate vitamins
created through biotechnology. This is especially apparent in fortified cereals.
Another example of GM vitamins is in biofortified crops, such as golden rice.
Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of staple food crops is
improved through genetic engineering. These crops could help to solve important global
health challenges in developing countries. While no biofortified crops are available to
the public yet, current public-private research involving biofortification include:
 iron-biofortification of rice, beans, sweet potato, cassava and legumes;
 zinc-biofortification of wheat, rice, beans, sweet potato and maize;
 provitamin A carotenoid-biofortification of bananas, sweet potato, maize and
cassava; and
 amino acid and protein-biofortification of sorghum and cassava.