GMO FACT SHEET -- The Basics on Science and Issues
Oregon State University │ College of Agricultural Sciences │1
Steve Strauss, Distinguished Professor / Oregon State University / 4 December 2013
WHAT ARE GMOS?
Genetically modified organisms are those where their natural DNA has been altered, often by adding new genes, using “test tube” techniques for direct modification of DNA. The DNA can come from other species, from the same or closely related species, or be designed by scientists to deliver a specific trait of value to farmers or consumers. In practice, they are used in association with conventional plant breeding methods.
ARE THEY IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND FOOD SUPPLY?
GMO crops are used on a massive scale, being grown on more than 10% of arable (tilled) land in the world. They are considered to be the most rapidly adopted technology in the history of agriculture. Because the majority of soy, corn, and cotton grown in the USA are GMO forms—and products from these crops are used in a wide variety of processed foods—most people in the USA have consumed at least some GMO-derived food for nearly 20 years. Livestock that produce meat, milk, and dairy products routinely consume large amounts of feed from GMO crops. However, due to regulatory and marketplace barriers, there are few types of fresh, whole GMO forms in the retail market; the major
exception is papaya.
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