The GMO Series: Commonly Modified Foods

Welcome to the last article in Nutripol's GMO Series! We've spent the last two weeks talking about both the benefits and the downfalls of introducing GMOs on a widespread level, and this piece will conclude with an overview of some of the most commonly modified foods on the market today. We'll talk about the controversy surrounding GMO labeling in the United States, as well as learn some facts about the modified versions of papaya, zucchini, corn, and soy. 

How do you know if your food has been genetically modified?
This is a hugely hot topic in the world of United States nutrition policy, and the the food labeling battle is still underway as we speak. Up until 2016, the issue of GMO labeling was decided by a 1992 FDA policy statement. It did not require companies to disclose information about genetic modification unless the final product "differed from its conventional counterpart such that the common or usual name no longer applie[d] to the new food." This statute remained untouched until 2014, when legislators in Vermont passed a law requiring all foods produced or partially produced by genetic engineering to be labeled as such. Fearing a snowball effect of potentially contradictory state laws, Congress passed the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard on July 29, 2016, mandating that the Secretary of Agriculture create a national standard for GMO labeling. 

These standards are not required to be implemented until July of 2018, and stakeholders in this game are anxiously awaiting the public set of draft rules that the USDA should release sometime in the next six months. The language that the USDA uses will have profound effects on industry -- the actual definitions of "bioengineering" and "GMO" are still hotly contested, and there are incredibly nuanced exceptions and norms that will likely spawn vicious legal battles. Furthermore, a provision in the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard allows producers to use an electronic QR code to label their products, angering anti-GMO advocates who view this as a manipulative loophole. 

The purpose of this introduction was to show that it's not always easy to determine whether or not your food has been genetically modified. Some companies will label their food with approval stamps from nonprofits like The Non-GMO Project, but this is done more in the interest of increased profits rather than from any sort of national regulation. With this being said, let's dive into some typically modified foods. 

What GMOs have you eaten today?

• Papaya
  • ​According to The Non-GMO Project, papaya was "the first genetically modified fruit to be grown in commercial production." These varieties were modified to be resistant to the papaya ringspot virus, which can have major adverse effects on the flavor (and therefore profitability) of the fruit. These genetically-modified papayas originated in Hawaii, and account for 75% of the United States' annual papaya output. 
• Zucchini & Yellow Squash
  • ​Zucchini and yellow squash are actually the same species of vegetable (the more you know!). Some have been modified to resist zucchini yellow mosaic virus, which is closely related to the papaya ringspot virus that I mentioned above. There are currently six varieties of genetically modified squash available on the U.S. market. 
• Corn
  • ​This is perhaps the most well-known GMO to the general public. The argument surrounding GM corn is a bit different than the above products, because a large majority of U.S. corn is produced for animal feed or processed ingredients, such as high-fructose corn syrup. This has sparked a huge debate as to whether food produced with high fructose corn syrup, or from animals who were raised eating modified corn, is subject to the same labeling laws adopted in 2016. Corn can be engineered to be resistant to destructive caterpillars, as well as to herbicides, and the most recent USDA acreage report concluded that genetically modified corn accounts for 92% of U.S. corn production. 
• Soy
  • Soy is the most commonly produced biotech crop in the world, occupying 50% of global GMO hectarage. As expected, the crops can be found in both caterpillar-resistant and herbicide-tolerant forms, most notably in the Intacta™ line from Monsanto (no surprise there!). Soy is similar to corn in that it is present in many secondary forms, including as a protein additive, a vegetable oil, and an animal feed component. 

What's the Bottom Line?
According to Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, work on GMOs was successful during the "days of innocence" before the controversy surrounding their use emerged. Again, there is still no scientific consensus on their safety or the risks involved with their consumption, but years and years of research on the horizon will hopefully point consumers in the right direction. For now, it's mostly a matter of personal preference, willpower, and financial constraints as to whether or not you want to consume genetically modified food. I hope you could learn something from Nutripol's GMO Series; thanks for tuning in!

Learn More:

• Read Part 1 in the GMO Series: How Biotech Can Save The World
• Read Part 2 in the GMO Series: Innovation Without Regulation

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed nutritionist nor a registered dietician. The opinions expressed in this article are my own, and each individual is ultimately responsible for his/her dietary and nutrition practices. Please consult a physician before starting a new dietary program.
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