How many American societies have consumed GMOs?

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Friday, 04/05/2018 12:10

Nearly all foods today have been genetically modified or altered in some way over thousands of years through selective breeding. However, there are only 10 commercially available GMO crops in the U.S: soybeans, corn (field and sweet), canola, cotton, alfalfa, sugar beets, summer squash, papaya, potatoes and apples. Below is a table outlining what year the 10 crops became commercially available in the U.S.:

The GM salmon was recently approved by the FDA and is the first GMO food animal to be approved and is commercially available only in Canada. The salmon was genetically modified for a few reasons including to conserve wild fish populations and provide low impact aquaculture.

Even though these 10 crops are the only GMO crops that are commercially available in the U.S., as well as the salmon, it is also important to note that many of these crops are ingredients in other types of food you may find in your local grocery store. So Americans consume genetically modified food in many different types and ways.

This response by Janet Carpenter, Owner, J E Carpenter Consulting LLC M.S. Agricultural and Resource Economics, explains in detail how many pounds of GMO foods are produced each year in the U.S.

This 2015 article by TIME, shows in charts every genetically modified food that people already eat in the U.S and the adoption of GMO crops in the U.S.

Additionally, this article explores animal feeding data/studies with current GMO crops through the years.

We hope this answers your question, if you have any additional questions, please ask!