GM Foods Now and In The Future

Genetic engineering means scientists can change the traits of plants and animals by inserting new genetic material, often from many different organisms, or by deleting or moving DNA sequences around.

Directly changing the genetic makeup of organisms is dramatically different from traditional breeding, and there are ongoing scientific investigations about the possible risks. There are also public concerns about the environmental and social impacts, and even ethical questions, and yet GM products are in grocery stores now, unidentified.

Canadian GM crops

After two decades, Canadian farmers grow five GM crops:

• GM canola
• GM corn
• GM soy
• GM white sugar beets (for sugar processing)
• GM alfalfa—very small amount as of last year (for feeding farm animals, not for sprouting)

This short list is actually almost all of the GM crops currently grown around the world. There are a few others grown in small amounts and some new GM crops, and even GM animals, on the horizon, but for now most of the world’s GM foods are from just these five crops.

Processed foods and animals products

GM corn, canola, soy, and cotton account for 99 percent of all the world’s GM crop acres. GM corn, canola, and soy mostly end up as ingredients in processed food or as food for dairy cows and farm animals raised for meat. All the other GM crops on the market—GM papaya, some squashes, white sugar beet, and alfalfa—are grown in very small quantities.

Almost all of these crops are genetically modified for just two reasons: to survive sprayings of certain herbicides or to be toxic to insects.

However, GM foods may soon become more common and more diverse because of recent approvals for three new GM whole foods: GM apples, potatoes, and salmon.

Few GM fruits and vegetables

Without product labels, announcements about new GM foods can be misleading. For example, media stories about GM discoveries have led to a common assumption that GM fruits and vegetables are everywhere, when the opposite is true.

In fact, most breakthrough GM discoveries never make it out of the lab. Similarly, government approvals for new GM foods do not automatically mean they will be sold. For example, the newly approved GM apple and potato are not yet on the market, and many companies say they have no plans to use them. Some GM products appear on the market and then quickly disappear, like the GM tomato or an earlier GM potato.

Right now, the only genetically modified vegetable grown in Canada is GM sweet corn, and tests done by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) over the years only found a small amount.

Additionally, GM papaya and some GM squashes from the US can be imported. This means that most of the produce section in Canadian stores is currently free from GM fruits and vegetables.

This could change, but shopping for non-GM fruits and vegetables is currently quite simple. First, there’s no reason to check the price-look-up (PLU) codes on tiny produce stickers because the code for genetically modified foods has been discontinued.

More importantly, there are few GM fruits and vegetables on the market right now, and organic produce, which is all non-GM, is clearly identified with the Canada Organic logo.

The future of GM food

Labelling is both closer and farther away for Canadians. Last year, the US government made it mandatory for companies to reveal GM ingredients, but instead of requiring a readable label, companies can add a digital QR code to be read by smartphones.

In the end, the new US law does not require a label at all. In Canada, a recent House of Commons committee recommended against labelling, but Parliament will continue to debate it.

In the meantime, organic farmers have already rejected genetically modified seeds and are at the forefront of providing non-GM food. Organic farmers produce food according to the national standard that prohibits GMOs, as well as synthetic chemicals, and stipulates other ecological practices.

Faced with the challenge of unlabelled genetically modified foods, organics provides one clear choice that also supports a better future for food and farming.

GMO inquiry

In a groundbreaking research project called the GMO Inquiry, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) investigated the impacts of 20 years of genetically modified organisms in Canada.

CBAN documented the environmental, social, health, and economic impacts and risks in a series of six reports. This extensive research is the first of its kind in Canada. Here are some of the key findings:

• 130%: amount that herbicide sales in Canada increased since GM crops were introduced (1994-2011)
• 80%: approximate amount of corn grown in Canada that is GM
• 60%: approximate amount of soy grown in Canada that is GM
• Almost all: amount of canola and sugar beet that is also GM
• 88%: number of Canadians who want mandatory labelling of GM foods
• 48%: number of Canadians who support a ban of GM foods All of the reports and summary pamphlets are posted at gmoinquiry.ca.