A Bounty of Benefits

Nearly 70 years have passed since the world was introduced to DNA, the molecule that encodes heredity. And it is 35 years since the first experiment with a genetically engineered organism in a strawberry patch in California. Since then, field tests with GE plants have been conducted 20,000 times in the United States, under the watchful eye of agencies acting under the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. Over 200 GE food and agricultural products have been cleared for commercialization following review by one or more of the three agencies involved in the framework—the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
 
In contrast to most new technologies, opposition to the use of genetic engineering and calls for regulation developed well before any products were on the market or even tested in the open. Some in the expert community, including academics and NGO scientists, demanded to know more about the potential ecological effects of growing GE crops and potential health effects of consuming food from those crops. Even after science-based protocols were put in place, and premarket review regulations adopted under USDA, FDA, and EPA statutes to ensure GE products would be as safe to grow and eat as their conventionally bred counterparts, a number of public interest groups and European governments were still opposed. Some remain so still.
 
In the meantime, with GE crops grown and consumed globally since 1996 on 7 billion acres in up to 29 countries, there are unprecedented amounts of peer-reviewed safety data—and no evidence that GE crops or foods have caused any adverse health or environmental effects, nor has any court ever found that to be the case in spite of dozens of legal challenges. GE crops have allowed farmers to realize such benefits as higher yields (growing more food per acre), a significant reduction in pesticide application using insect-resistant crops coupled with a corresponding reduction in worker exposure in the field, and the ability to fight weeds well into the growing season with herbicide-tolerant crops. Newer plants with consumer and health benefits have begun to further diversify this mix. As a result, GE crops support sustainable development in numerous ways, including food security—providing a safe, nutritious, and affordable supply for all consumers—while contributing to a reduction in food waste and minimization of agriculture’s environmental footprint, importantly, its climate impacts.

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