Myths & Facts
Myths & Facts: Plant Biotechnology
- Myth: There are no biotech food products currently on the market.
- Myth: Biotech foods are unsafe to eat.
- Myth: Biotech foods are not regulated or tested.
- Myth: Meat, milk and eggs from livestock and poultry fed biotech feed products are not as safe as similar products from livestock and poultry fed conventionally produced feed.
- Myth: Organic or conventional crops are more nutritious or safer than biotech crops.
- Myth: Biotech foods taste different than foods made from conventional crops.
- Myth: The United States does not require labeling of biotech foods.
- Myth: Biotech foods and crops have been rejected by consumers.
- Myth: The United States is the only country growing and consuming biotech crops.
- Myth: Biotechnology is only being applied to a few crop varieties.
- Myth: The "pipeline" of biotech plants products is dried up ? there are no new products being developed and released.
- Myth: Biotech foods can't feed the world.
- Myth: Biotech crops increase food allergies.
- Myth: Using biotechnology to improve plants is not natural.
- Myth: Biotech companies won't disclose where field trials of biotech crops are being grown because they are trying to hide things from the public.
- Myth: Biotech crops harm the environment.
- Myth: Biotech crops will cause "superweeds" to develop.
- Myth: The only people who benefit from biotech plants are the agricultural companies who develop and sell the seeds. There's no real benefit to consumers and farmers.
- Myth: Biotech companies won't disclose where field trials of biotech crops are being grown because they are trying to hide things from the public.
Myth: There are no biotech food products currently on the market.
Fact: Today, it is estimated that at least 70 percent of processed foods on grocery store shelves contain ingredients and oils from biotech crops. The first biotech crop, a tomato improved through biotechnology, was sold in 1994. The first biotech commodity crops - an insect resistant variety of corn - were grown and sold in 1996. Today, the most popular biotech crops are corn, soybean, cotton and canola.
Myth: Biotech foods are unsafe to eat.
Fact: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that biotech foods and crops are as safe as their non-biotech counterparts. The American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences have also declared biotech foods safe for human and animal consumption. In addition, since being introduced to U.S. markets in 1996, not a single person or animal has become sick from eating biotech foods. Other international groups that have concluded biotech foods and crops are safe are The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Council for Science, the French Food Agency, and the British Medical Association. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has also found several biotech varieties to be safe for human and animal consumption.
Related links:
- American Dietetic Association
http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0002-8223/PIIS0002822305021097.pdf - World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/biotech_en.pdf - British Medical Association
http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/GMFoods/$file/GM.pdf - United Nations
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/41714/index.html - French Food Agency
http://www.fas.usda.gov/scripts/gd.asp?ID=146107029 - National Academy of Sciences
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10977.html?onpi_newsdoc07272004 - International Council for Science
http://www.icsu.org/1_icsuinscience/INIT_GMOrep_1.html - American Medical Association
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/article/2036-4030.html
Myth: Biotech foods are not regulated or tested.
Fact: Biotech crops undergo intense regulatory scrutiny covering their growth in the fields to their delivery in the marketplace to ensure that they are safe for consumption and do not pose any environmental hazards. Biotech crops and their food products are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Testing of biotech crops before they are introduced to market generally takes about 6-12 years at a cost of $6-12 million.
Myth: Meat, milk and eggs from livestock and poultry fed biotech feed products are not as safe as similar products from livestock and poultry fed conventionally produced feed.
Fact: Animal feed is often made from biotech crops, and the livestock and poultry that eat these feeds are nourished and healthy from eating biotech foods. The meat, milk and egg products from these farm animals are exactly the same as those from animals eating conventional feed products.
In fact, livestock and poultry can actually benefit from feeds made from biotech crops. Some biotech feeds are nutritionally enhanced with added nutrients that improve animal size, productivity and growth. Other biotech feeds can increase digestibility. Biotech feeds also have a positive impact on the environment. Livestock producers are challenged with identifying how to dispose of more than 160 million metric tons of manure annually. Animal manure, especially that of swine and poultry, is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, which can contribute to surface and groundwater pollution. Several biotech feeds decrease phosphorus and nitrogen excretion, total manure excretion and offensive odors.
Myth: Organic or conventional crops are more nutritious or safer than biotech crops.
Fact: Organic and conventionally grown foods are nutritionally comparable to biotech crops. In the future, biotech crops may be even more nutritious. Scientists are working to develop biotech crops that may actually be more nutritious and healthy than conventional and organic crops. For instance, rice has been developed with higher levels of Vitamin A, and future biotech soybeans may produce lower levels of saturated fats and trans fats in oils. Researchers are working to develop allergy-free peanuts and soybeans which will benefit up to seven million Americans who suffer from food allergies.
Myth: Biotech foods taste different than foods made from conventional crops.
Fact: Biotech foods taste exactly the same as regular foods and organic foods. Studies have shown that they do not taste any different, appear any different, nor affect the human body differently. They are also nutritionally equivalent to organic and conventionally grown crops.
Myth: The United States does not require labeling of biotech foods.
Fact: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a labeling policy that requires biotech foods to be labeled if the product is significantly changed nutritionally or uses material from a potential allergen. In other words, if a biotech product is nutritionally the same as a non-biotech product, there is no requirement for labels. However, if a biotech product uses a gene from a peanut, which is a known potential allergen, then it must be labeled. Today, the majority of biotech products in the marketplace are not labeled as such since they are nutritionally equivalent and are not derived from known allergens.
Myth: Biotech foods and crops have been rejected by consumers.
Fact: Biotech crops and their food products are accepted virtually worldwide. In fact, in 2005, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, biotech crops were grown on 222 million acres in 21 countries by 8.5 million farmers. In 1996, when the first biotech commodity crops were commercially grown, 7 million acres of biotech crops were grown worldwide. In May 2005, the one billionth acre of biotech crops was planted somewhere in the northern hemisphere. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the United States in 2006, 89 percent of soybeans grown were biotech; 83 percent of cotton is biotech and 61 percent of corn is biotech. The top five countries growing biotech crops in 2005 were the United States (123 million acres), Argentina (42 million acres), Brazil (23 million acres), Canada (14 million acres), and China (8 million acres).
Myth: The United States is the only country growing and consuming biotech crops.
Fact: In 2005, 21 countries planted biotech crops, and many more consumed them worldwide. The most recent suvye of the global impact of biotech crops for the nine-year period 1996-2004 estimates that the global net economic benefits to biotech crop farmers in 2004 was $6.5 billion. Sixty-three countries in all parts of the world have been involved in some phase of biotech plant research and development, from laboratory/greenhouse experiments, to field trials, to regulatory approval and commercial production.
Myth: The reasons why other countries ban biotech crops and foods is because they are unsafe.
Fact: There is widespread agreement among scientists on the safety of biotech crops and foods. Over 3,200 renowned scientists worldwide have signed a declaration in support of agricultural biotechnology (http://www.agbioworld.org) and its safety to humans, animals and the environment. Those countries that refuse biotech foods and crops do so because of political, cultural and socioeconomic reasons that are not based on any scientific evidence of the safety of agricultural biotechnology.
Myth: Biotechnology is only being applied to a few crop varieties.
Fact: While corn, soybean, cotton and canola are the most popular and widely grown biotech crops worldwide, at least 57 different plants have been the focus of biotech research over the last two decades. Of this number, eight different plants are in commercial production, and 13 different plants have received regulatory approval.
Myth: The "pipeline" of biotech plants products is dried up? there are no new products being developed and released.
Fact: Researchers worldwide are continually working to develop new biotech varieties of plants and crops that benefit farmers, consumers and the environment. In 2003, EPA approved the first biotech rootworm-resistant corn, which has the potential to save farmers $1 billion annually in crop losses and pesticide costs. In the near future, we can expect to see plants improved through biotechnology to express multiple traits, such as virus-tolerance and pest-tolerance. Studies are also being done with biotech plants that can tolerate or resist certain environmental stresses, such as drought. Consumers will soon see biotech crops that are nutrient-enhanced and even allergen-free, and oils from biotech crops that are healthier and contain fewer saturated fats and no trans fats after processing.
Myth: Biotech crops increase food allergies.
Fact: There is no evidence that biotech crops increase food allergies; in fact, researchers are working to develop biotech foods that are free of known allergens, such as peanuts. In fact, according to the FDA's labeling policy, biotech foods are required to be labeled if the product is significantly changed nutritionally or uses material from a potential allergen. Today, the majority of biotech products in the marketplace are not labeled since they are not derived from known allergens.
Myth: Using biotechnology to improve plants is not natural.
Fact: Since the Stone Age, farmers have been using breeding techniques to genetically modify crops to improve quality and yield. Modern biotechnology is the most recent in a long list of tools, including selective breeding, hybridization and crossbreeding. In fact, biotechnology is the most efficient and cost effective method available for plant breeders. The use of biotechnology in plants is simply another step in the evolution of plant breeding techniques. The techniques of modern biotechnology are adapted from genetic phenomenon scientists have found widely in natural populations.
Myth: Growing drugs in plants is dangerous - pretty soon there will be drugs in our cereal.
Fact: Today, consumers can easily purchase nutrient-enhanced foods, such as vitamin-fortified juices or cereals. Currently, there is research going into the development of nutrient-enhanced biotech crops and foods, but none are on the market yet. Consumers may have also heard of the idea of foods that have vaccines in them - such as oranges that deliver flu shots. These "edible vaccines" are still in the research phase and not on the commercial market yet. Research is also taking place that turns biotech plants into "factories" so they develop therapeutic proteins that can be used in the production of biotech drugs. Known as "plant-made pharmaceuticals," or PMPs, these biotech plants can efficiently and cost-effectively produce the proteins needed for biotech treatments, thereby increasing patient access to important medicines. Growth of plant-made pharmaceuticals is carefully monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and takes place under very strict confinement requirements that ensure that they do not commingle with crops that are used for food or feed. Additionally, farm equipment that is used for these types of plants cannot be used for any food or feed crops. Federal regulations are designed to prevent pharmaceutical-producing plants from crossing paths with crops used for food and feed production making it highly unlikely for "drugs" to appear in cereal.
Myth: Biotech foods can't feed the world.
Fact: In actuality, biotech foods alone can't feed the world - poverty and starvation are issues rooted in socio-political problems. However when combined with other modern farming techniques, agricultural biotechnology can be an essential tool in increasing fiscal yields and helpful in combating hunger.
Myth: Biotech crops will cause "superweeds" to develop.
Fact: Biotech opponents have promoted the concept of "superweeds" which could supposedly form by taking on herbicide-resistant characteristics of biotech crops growing in the same field. These "superweeds" will supposedly grow out of control and be resistant to weed killers. In cases where gene flow can and does take place, the resulting weeds resistant to the herbicide used with the biotech crop remain controllable with many other herbicides and a variety of intercropping and cultivation techniques. Far from being unique, or even particularly problematic with crops improved through biotechnology, this is a well known phenomenon that farmers have a long history of managing successfully.
Myth: The only people who benefit from biotech plants are the agricultural companies who develop and sell the seeds. There's no real benefit to consumers and farmers.
Fact: Pest-resistant and herbicide-resistant biotech varieties reduce the need for pesticides and enable farmers to use low toxicity herbicides. Studies by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) (http://www.ncfap.org/whatwedo/biotech-us.php) found that in 2004, the eleven biotech crop varieties adopted by U.S. growers increased crop yields by 6.6 billion pounds, provided $2.3 billion in additional net returns for U.S. growers, and reduced pesticide applications by 62.0 million pounds. Both consumers and farmers have benefited from biotechnology -- the papaya industry was nearly wiped out in Hawaii in the early 1990s due to the papaya ring spot virus (PRV). Papayas are the second largest fruit crop in Hawaii; according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, papaya sales were valued at $11.2 million in 2005. Biotechnology was used to develop papayas that are resistant to the devastating effects of this virus, which is spread by aphids and also via human contact. Infestation by the virus has destroyed the papaya crops in Brazil and Taiwan, and without biotechnology, Hawaii's papaya industry could have been wiped out, having a crippling effect on the local economy, and agriculture industry as a whole. In fact, control of PRV by biotech papayas in Hawaii has preserved the potential for organic growers to produce papaya with non-biotech varieties.
Myth: Biotech companies won't disclose where field trials of biotech crops are being grown because they are trying to hide things from the public.
Fact: The reality is, the location of fields that grow biotech plants have been threatened by vandalism, a sad fact recognized by USDA who protects this information as "confidential business information," a practice which is not unique to biotechnology, but practiced by any economic sector that involves new product development. Since 1986, at least 36 states have adopted laws specifically addressing crimes committed by "eco," or plant terrorists. While state laws vary widely, crimes such as theft of data, vandalism, and breaking and entering by these groups are recognized. Additionally, after Sept. 11, 2004, states have increasingly sought to strengthen or enact additional and stricter laws against plant activists engaging in terrorist activities. Currently, a bill has been introduced to the U.S. Senate (S.430) that would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance agricultural biosecurity in the United States through increased prevention, preparation and response planning.