what is nonGMO honey?

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Tuesday, 21/08/2018 13:14

There is currently no GMO honey commercially available today. However, nearly all foods today have been genetically modified or altered in some way over thousands of years through selective breeding. Although, 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. These 10 are the only GMO crops that are commercially available in the U.S., but 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.

Below is a table outlining what year the 10 crops became commercially available:

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. Read more about this first GMO animal, why and how it was created here.

When people refer to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), they are referring to precision plant breeding using genetic engineering. It allows plant breeders to take a desirable trait (like resistance to drought, insects, weeds, and disease) from one plant or organism and transfer it to the plant they want to improve, as well as make a change to an existing trait in a plant they are developing. You may have also heard of agricultural biotechnology or biotech seeds. These are terms that may be used to refer to the same thing – a genetically modified organism (GMO).

If you have any additional questions, please ask!