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What are GMOs?
Genetically modified organisms — or more precisely genetically engineered organisms — are created when the genetic code of a life form is altered in a way that is not possible by natural processes. Genetic code may be removed, silenced or replaced by genetic code from another organism to promote the expression of desirable traits such as resistance to pests, or eliminate undesirable traits, such as susceptibility to disease.
One of the first widely used GE crops was created by fusing a gene derived from a bacteria into the DNA of soybeans, making them resistant to the herbicide Roundup.
Bt corn was made resistant to insects by inserting a gene from a naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces a protein toxic to insect larvae, but harmless to mammals. A spray version of Bt toxin has been in use for more than 50 years.
New technologies allow scientists to rewrite specific sections of genetic code without introducing outside genetic material, a technique recently used with success on monkeys.
Are certified organic and Non-GMO Project-verified foods GMO-free?
In the real world, pollen drifts, supply chains are shared and a low-level presence of GMOs in much of our food is a fact of life. This is why the Canadian government does not allow products to be labelled “GE free” or “GMO free.”
But certified foods almost certainly contain less GE material than foods that do not carry certification. Products certified as organic may not be grown from GE seed nor can they contain ingredients derived from GMOs. However, organic certification is process-based, meaning that growers and processors must adhere to certain practices, which may not include testing for the low-level presence of GMOs. Detectable residue from GMOs does not necessarily constitute a violation of certification standards.
Non-GMO Project verification does require testing for ingredients such as corn or soy, which have widely grown GE versions. Supply chain segregation, traceability and quality controls are employed to reduce risk that GMOs are present in the final product. The Non-GMO Project uses an “action threshold” of 0.9 per cent GMO. At or below is OK, above is not. The European Union employs the same threshold for food imports.
Are farmers starting to abandon GE crops?
Maybe, maybe not.
It seems as if every anti-GMO activist has heard of farmers turning away from GE crops. So far, acreage numbers and biotech companies’ balance sheets suggest otherwise. In 2012, more than 97 per cent of canola grown in Canada was GE, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications. Global acreage under biotech crops rose six per cent, reaching a record 170 million acres in 2012, 52 per cent of that in the developing world. Global GE acreage increases in 2012 over the previous year include canola (+5%), maize (+4%), cotton (+7%) and soybeans (+8%).
Where are the GMOs hiding?
In plain sight.
A handful of genetically engineered foods are in plain sight. Many thousands of ready-to-eat and processed foods contain ingredients such as oil, sugar, starch and protein made from the main GE commodity crops: corn, soy, sugar beets, canola and cottonseed. None of the genetically engineered whole foods or foods containing ingredients derived from GE commodity crops is required to be labelled in the United States or Canada.
Much of the papaya grown in Hawaii is genetically engineered to resist papaya ringspot virus, which devastated the industry there between the 1940s and 1980s.
Some yellow crookneck squash, straightneck squash and zucchini grown in the United States are genetically engineered to be resistant to three viruses transmitted by insects, allowing farmers to use less pesticide.
Some sweet corn grown in the United States and Canada is genetically engineered to express the Bt gene, rendering it toxic to destructive insects and reducing the need for pesticides. Bt corn seeds produced by Monsanto and Syngenta are also herbicide-tolerant, which reduces the need for tilling and the greenhouse gas emissions that creates. Testing conducted last year on sweet corn by the anti-GMO Canadian Biotechnology Action Network found GE varieties for sale in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia.