We’ve all seen the Non-GMO Project or USDA Organic labels on products at the grocery store, or perhaps the “Contains Bioengineered Food Ingredients” warning beneath the nutrition facts. Often, it can be easy to categorize foods with these labels as either “good” or “bad”, but the truth behind the science may not be that simple. So what do these fancy words really tell us about the food we put into our bodies?

Bioengineering is a process involving the alteration of organisms in a laboratory in order to create a more favorable product. For example, this can involve making a crop more drought-resistant, increasing its size, or enhancing its flavor. The term GMO (genetically modified organism) refers to plants that have undergone bioengineering. This simple term often raises questions about ethics and food safety, leading skeptics to instead opt for foods in the organic section of the supermarket. Here’s where it gets confusing: these so-called “organic” foods can technically be GMOs as well. 

All food products actually undergo genetic modification, but it’s the way in which they are modified that determines whether they are labelled as GMO. Mutagenesis is a technique in which chemicals or radiation are used to randomly alter the DNA of a plant, and while this can create a different type of organism, it can still be labeled as non-GMO. Likewise, plants with desirable characteristics can be “cloned” (naturally or artificially) in order to create replicas. Bananas are a key example of this. At one point in history, they contained inedible seeds in order to reproduce. Over time, though, they have been selectively bred in order to become the decadent fruits we eat today. So in actuality, even organic bananas are clones of mutant bananas and should be considered GMOs. 

The foods that do get marked as genetically modified often have genes inserted into them, creating an organism that does not occur in nature. This is the method most often regarded with fear or suspicion. After all, is it really safe to consume foods that come out of a lab? It’s important to acknowledge that bioengineering does have benefits for the human population. Golden Rice is a genetically modified crop that contains more Vitamin A than spinach, which could aid the 140 million children across the globe with a Vitamin A deficiency. MON810 is a variant of corn which is resistant to the European Corn Borer, a type of invasive insect, consequently feeding a higher number of people.

Though these crops may seem far from your local grocery store, GMO consumption is a lot more frequent than you might think. Nowadays, most products that aren’t organic contain genetically modified ingredients. If you’ve ever eaten a Nature Valley granola bar or Chobani yoghurt, then you’ve had one of the 70% of American products that contain bioengineered ingredients. In fact, 88% of corn, 95% of sugar beets, and 93% of soybeans grown in the U.S. are GMOs. And even though you may have never directly consumed a sugar beet, this vegetable accounts for 55% of table sugar U.S. and is second only to sugarcane as the world’s leading producer of sucrose. Other common bioengineered crops include canola oil, yellow squash, papayas, and apples. 

Despite the fact that the dogma surrounding GMOs designates them as something to be avoided at all costs, there is widespread evidence that these foods are safe to eat. There have been no cases of negative side effects linked to genetically modified crops that stem directly from their alteration, as there are several safety tests that need to be passed before GMOs are allowed onto the market. However, most of the risks that arise from bioengineering stem from the agricultural techniques involved or issues with the added gene itself. 

With this in mind, though, it is important to note that most countries still avoid genetically modified crops. The United States, Argentina, Canada, and Brazil account for 90% of the world’s bioengineered plants. This may be because many fear that the altered genes in genetically modified crops could end up making their way into our own DNA. This scenario is highly unlikely, but it is a reflection of the plethora of concerns surrounding this technique. More realistic scenarios highlight the effects of environmental factors on medical conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, yet whether the consumption of GMOs leads to medical conditions is still unknown. 

Overall, scientists continue to look more into genetic modification as a means of solving many of the world’s food-related problems. Amid much uncertainty, bioengineered foods have so far been proven to pose no hazards for us. But unless further research proves otherwise, it might be safe to say that bioengineered food isn’t something that needs to be avoided completely.

 

written by Keerthi Selvam

edited by Saanvi Gutta and Tryphena Pilli

 

References:

Borrell, J. (2019, March 28). All our food is ‘genetically modified’ in some way – where do you draw the line? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/all-our-food-is-genetically-modified-in-some-way-where-do-you-draw-the-line-56256.

Freedman, D. H. (2013, September 1). The Truth about Genetically Modified Food. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-genetically-modified-food/.

General Mills: Genetically-modified (GM) ingredients. (n.d.). https://www.generalmills.com/en/News/Issues/on-biotechnology.

Is it safe to eat GM crops? Royal Society. (2016). https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/gm-plants/is-it-safe-to-eat-gm-crops/.

Masterson, K. (2016). GMO, GE, Bioengineered…What Do All These Food Labels Mean? Vermont Public Radio. https://www.vpr.org/post/gmo-ge-bioengineeredwhat-do-all-these-food-labels-mean.

Myers, V. R. (2021). Do Bananas Have Seeds? The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/do-bananas-have-seeds-3269378.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). What is a Bioengineered Food? https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/BE_Consumer.pdf.

Winslow, A. (2013, July 21). Are There GMOs Lurking in Your Yogurt? Eating Made Easy. https://eating-made-easy.com/are-there-gmos-lurking-in-your-yogurt/.