Question
Interview Questions: 1. Q. What is your opinion on GMOs? A. 2. Q.If you used GMO crops did you notice a difference in taste or production from the regular crops? A. 3. Q. What do you think the benefits from GMOs are? A.
Submitted by: itzkwicks
Answer
Expert response from Community Manager
Friday, 02/08/2019 22:34
It has been over 20 years since GMO crops first hit the market. GMOs and other advanced biotechnology tools have had an enormous impact on agriculture, including complex issues around environmental sustainability, plant diseases and pests and contributing to innovations with nutrition and breakthrough human medicines.
GMOs are created to achieve a desired trait, such as resistance to a pest or tolerance to drought conditions. The 10 genetically modified crops available in the U.S. today include alfalfa, apples, canola, corn (field and sweet), cotton, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, squash and sugar beets. This chart explains why each of the 10 GMO crops are genetically modified.
There is no nutritional difference between GMOs and their non-GMO counterparts unless the nutritional content of the GM crops has been intentionally modified, like high oleic soybeans, or biofortified crops, such as Golden Rice. Therefore, there is also no difference in taste between GMOs and their non-GMO counterparts. In a previous response, Ray Dobert, Ph.D., Global Biotech Policy Manager, Bayer Crop Science, elaborates:
“Trained assessors at the National Food Lab participated in a blind sensory analysis to evaluate Seminis Performance series sweet corn. The evaluators found that the GMO sweet corn had the same, great taste and eating quality of its conventional counterparts. There are numerous blogs out there (for example, this one) that attest to the findings of the expert tasters.
Even one of the most widely grown GM crops, Roundup Ready soybeans, was put to the test early on to see how it performed in taste tests. Samples of soy oil and flour from the GM soy and a similar conventional variety were evaluated by USDA expert assessors to look for key flavor attributes. The assessors found the same range and intensity of flavors in the oils and flours from the GM and non-GM lines.”
From environmental sustainability to nutritional benefits, we’ve outlined many of the important ways GMOs can provide benefits to farmers, consumers and the environment in this response.
Additionally, this response further discusses the positive ways that GM crops contribute to food security, sustainability, the environment and climate change.
Lastly, Julie Howard, Former Chief Scientist, U.S. Agency for International Development Bureau for Food Security (USAID), talks about the global benefits of GMO crops in her response here.
We hope this answers your question. If you have any other questions about GMOs or biotechnology, please ask!