Are GMO Food and Organic Foods an Either / or Proposition?

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by: Ranjana Smetacek1
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Word Count: 544

Are GMO Food
and Organic Foods an Either / or Proposition?

By Ranjana Smetacek

Consumers have many
choices about the foods they eat, and those choices are impacted by numerous
factors including price, quality, taste, convenience, health benefits and
process attributes – just to name a few. To make an informed decision today,
consumers need a good understanding of nutrition, food science and, sometimes,
even agriculture.

For example, the marketing of, and discussion about, the benefits of organic
foods versus conventional foods and genetically modified (GMO) food have created
confusion and misperceptions among some consumers about the safety and benefits
of each farming system. In actuality, organic foods, conventional foods and GMO
food all share the same observable physical characteristics. The difference
between these foods is in the production or the practices farmers use when
growing the crop.

“For us, organic,
biotech and conventional are all management systems, and you use them in terms
of balance in how it fits into your operation,” says Jennie Schmidt, a
registered dietitian and

US farmer who grows both organic and GMO crops. “I’m comfortable with
knowing that farmers are good stewards of what they’re doing. And therefore,
that the food that is raised conventionally or through biotech is safe.”

Greater than 99
percent of the world’s farmers use conventional farming techniques, which
include crop rotation, tillage, government-approved pesticides and fertilizers.
A conventional farmer’s options are typically limited only by regulations set by
governing agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A biotech farmer is
simply a conventional farmer that chooses to plant a crop variety developed or
bred through biotechnology methods. For example, some types of corn have been
genetically modified to resist insect pests, thereby requiring

fewer pesticide applications to control insect infestations.

In comparison, to
achieve recognized organic labels, organic farmers must conform to a strict
agricultural system that minimizes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides,
growth regulators and livestock feed additives. However, these practices can
result in variable or lower yields and increased labor compared to conventional
farming, which makes organic foods generally more expensive.

But, all food –
regardless of whether it is organic, conventional or GMO – must meet the same
inspection and food safety standards. There is no evidence that organically
produced food is any safer or more nutritious than its conventionally produced
counterpart.

“There is no
evidence that it’s more nutritious. There’s no evidence that it’s more safe.
It’s not sustainable. It’s not any healthier,” says Dr. Bruce Chassy from the
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois,
addressing the misperception that one of the benefits of organic foods versus
GMO food includes being better or more nutritious.

A second
misperception about the benefits of organic foods versus GMO food is that it is
safer. However, before any new GMO crop is produced or sold, it undergoes
rigorous testing and safety assessments to demonstrate the GMO food is as safe
to consume as an existing food with the same compositional and nutritional
characteristics. As a result, GMO crops are the most thoroughly studied,
regulated and understood crop or food in history.

In a 2000 report, a
committee of the

National Academies
noted, "The committee is not aware of any evidence that foods on the market are