Genetically Modified/Engineered Organisms (GMOs)

by Amy

What Are GMOs/GEOs?

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) refer to plants, animals, microorganisms, or other organisms whose genetic material has been deliberately altered using genetic engineering techniques. These technologies enable scientists to introduce, delete, or modify specific genes, often creating combinations of genetic material that do not occur naturally or through traditional breeding methods.

According to the Non-GMO Project, GMOs involve laboratory-based genetic modifications that can combine genes from bacteria, viruses, plants, and animals in ways not possible in nature. This technology has been widely used in agriculture to enhance traits such as pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, and shelf life.

Nature.com explains that genetic engineering can transfer genes across species boundaries, such as incorporating bacterial genes into crop plants. This approach has been employed to improve agricultural yields, develop pharmaceuticals, and create synthetic biology applications.

As Wikipedia notes, genetic modifications can result in transgenic organisms (genes from other species), cisgenic organisms (genes from the same species), or organisms with edited endogenous genes. These innovations have sparked both enthusiasm and significant controversy, with ongoing debates about their safety, efficacy, and impact on ecosystems.

Who Are Bayer, Monsanto, and Seminis?

The consolidation of agricultural biotech companies has reshaped the global GMO landscape.

  • Bayer AG, a multinational life sciences company, acquired Monsanto in 2018. Monsanto, originally founded in 1901, was a leading developer of genetically modified crops and agrochemicals like glyphosate-based herbicides.
  • Before the acquisition, Monsanto had already expanded its influence by acquiring Seminis in 2005, which was the largest producer of fruit and vegetable seeds globally.

Bayer operates through three main divisions:

  1. Pharmaceuticals (prescription drugs),
  2. Consumer Health (over-the-counter products),
  3. Crop Science, which focuses on agricultural innovations, including GMOs.

This integration makes it challenging for consumers to disentangle agricultural practices from the pharmaceutical sector. For those opposed to GMOs, this interconnection has raised ethical and practical dilemmas.

Why Are GMOs Controversial?

Environmental Concerns

The introduction of GMOs has brought about notable ecological risks. For instance:

  • Bt Corn and Monarch Butterflies: Studies such as those by Losey et al. (1999) found that pollen from Bt corn (engineered to produce a natural insecticide) increased monarch larvae mortality when consumed alongside their primary food source, milkweed.
  • GMO cultivation often involves high-intensity monoculture practices that degrade soil health, reduce biodiversity, and lead to herbicide-resistant “superweeds.”

Health and Safety Concerns

  • Most GMO crops are modified to tolerate herbicides or produce pesticides, leading to concerns about chemical residues in food.
  • While GMO proponents argue that the technology is safe, critics note the lack of independent, long-term studies evaluating their impact on human and animal health. Without definitive safety data, many consumers remain skeptical.

Socioeconomic Issues

  • GMOs are often patented, granting corporations like Bayer significant control over global seed supplies. This has led to lawsuits against farmers accused of infringing patents due to cross-contamination with GMO seeds.
  • Small-scale farmers may find it increasingly difficult to compete as agribusiness giants dominate the market.

Advances and Developments in GMO Technology

Recent years have seen innovations beyond traditional GMOs:

  • CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing: This precise technology allows scientists to make targeted genetic changes without introducing foreign DNA, blurring the line between genetic engineering and conventional breeding.
  • Synthetic Biology: Advances in creating entirely new organisms using artificial genetic constructs have expanded the potential applications of genetic engineering.

However, these advancements come with new ethical and regulatory challenges, particularly in ensuring transparency and safety.

More links to learn about GMOs, and why they are detrimental to humans and the planet

Seed developers are beginning to course-correct, and its not just the boutique companies. Monsanto, one of the world’s biggest agricultural biotech companies, recently collaborated with Apio, Inc., to release Beneforté broccoli, which has two to three times the level of the phytonutrient glucoraphanin compared to ordinary broccoli. And they developed it the old-fashioned way, with Mendelian cross-breeding. Gardeners, meanwhile, can try one of Burpee’s Boost line of seeds with higher levels of nutrients such as carotenoids and vitamin C.

Beneforté Broccoli has a patent on it, so not only did Monsanto help cause the harm of the food supply, and profit from it, they’re profiting from the “fix” for it. It’s really quite ingenious, though diabolical. Mr Burns kind of evil, you know? But this is the company that created Agent Orange.

Our thoughts on GMO

There is no “smear campaign” against genetically modified organisms. The companies that have the patents on the seeds, herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals, and their stockholders, are the only people in the world that actually benefit from GMO. There is no big money behind “No GMO” but there are billions of dollars behind GMOs. The world does not need GMOs. Politics and terrorism keep food from impoverished populations, but not because of any actual lack of food.

In addition, GMOs actively and aggressively damage soil health by allowing GMO crops to grow too close together without supporting the surrounding environment of healthy bugs, accompanying plants, and microorganisms, while getting sprayed with mind boggling amounts of chemicals that the companies insist are safe. Soil nutrients are sucked away as crop rotation ceases to happen in a matter that truly makes the soil able to sustain life without serious input from humans other than water.

In regard to human and animal health, GMO crops are sprayed with extremely toxic herbicides and/or insecticides. Those chemicals get passed down to the consumer, because washing off the outer part of a plant does nothing to rid the contaminants inside that were introduces as it was growing. It is currently unknown, only speculated, how GMOs genetic changes might affect human and animal health, nor any connected ecosystems. But that kind of thing should have been tested and known before a single GMO crop ever made it into an outdoor field.

How do I avoid GMO/GEO in the grocery store and while eating out?

Look for the organic label, avoid processed foods.

There are 9 crops we can easily find all over the grocery store. There are other GMO/GEO crops, like alfalfa, that livestock eat. Read more on the Non GMO page.

  • Canola oil – 95-97% of US and Canadian canola oil is GMO, originally modified more normally from the Rapeseed crop. Reliable Non-GMO canola oil is finally available, but buy from trustworthy merchants and look for the Non GMO Project label.
  • Corn – from the corn you eat off the cob or out of a can, to corn starch, to corn syrup, almost all non-organic corn in North America is GMO/GEO.
  • Cotton – commonly used cottonseed oil and cellulose (a filler, though cellulose can also be wood pulp). Look for organic cotton, or even better, skip cotton and buy hemp whenever possible.
  • Papaya – unless it’s labeled organic, it’s probably GMO/GEO (>90% of non organic crops).
  • Potatoes – a relatively new food to be weary of, Simplot has decided that letting you see your potato is rotting is bad for landfills, so their new White Russets don’t brown when they start to go bad.
  • Soy – again, unless it’s labeled organic, it’s GMO/GEO.
  • Sugar – specifically look for “Cane Sugar” – Sugar beets are almost all (>95%) GMO/GEO.
  • Zucchini/Squash – more and more of these crops are being engineered to be resistant to viruses.
  • Apples – Arctic Brand apples, another crop engineered not to brown so we don’t know when they’re going bad.

Sources: Kimberton Whole Foods, Mother Jones, Treehugger

What about my garden? How can I buy GMO-free seeds?

In 2024, the first official GMO seed became available to the home gardener, a purple tomato by Norfolk Plant Sciences. It includes snapdragon genetics to increase the antioxidant levels in the fruit. As mentioned in the NPR article here, the company’s aim is to change the public’s perception of GMO. By using science to make a food appear healthier, they want to soften the perception of all GMO, which traditionally is done solely to increase crop yield and profits.

For now, that’s the only GMO seed available to home gardeners. However, many of the companies that sell home gardener seeds and supplies, work with GMO companies. The goal is to not just keep GMOs out of your life, but to not support the companies that make their billions off of them.

Who sells “safe seed” (not genetically modified/engineered)

When you’re researching a seed company, dialog should be happening. Ask them where their seeds come from. Oftentimes, companies that sell heirloom/heritage and/or wild seeds will very likely be safe, and as a bonus, are usually happy to talk about it. Read their “about us” pages, send them an email.

The following may be companies that sell only safe seed:

Please let me know if you have a US or Canadian safe seed company, or know of one to add.

What seed companies work with GMO companies?

These are companies who currently, or at one time, work(ed) with a GMO company. If you think a company doesn’t belong here, contact us with information about the company’s seed and supplier practices. If they are supplied even in part by a GMO company, they won’t be moved to the safe seed list, even if they sell no GMO/GEO seed.

Anderson’s Seed & Garden, Inc
Audubon Workshop
Ball Horticultural Company
Breck’s Bulbs
Bunton Seed
Burpee – They do buy non-GMO seed from Seminis. As stated above, my goal is to in no way support GMO/GEO, therefore, they will stay on the avoid list.
Cook’s Garden
Corona Seeds
DeBruyn Seed Company, Inc.
Dege Garden Center
Dixondale Farms/The Onion Patch
Earl May Seed
Early’s Farm & Garden Centre
E & R Seed Co
El Seed
Farmer Seed & Nursery
Flower of the Month Club
Ferry Morse
Fukuda Seed Store
Gardens Alive
Germania Seed Co
Garden Trends, Inc.d/b/a Harris Seeds
Germania Seed Company
Grimes Horticulture
H.F. Michell Company
HPS
Jungs
Lindenberg Seeds
McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers
Meyer Seed Co of Baltimore, Inc
Mountain Valley Seed
Ontario Seed
Ornamental Edibles
Osborne
Otis S. Twilley Seed Co., Inc.
Park Seed
Park Bulbs
Park’s Countryside Garden
P. L. Rohrer & Bro., Inc.
Pinetree
R.H. Shumway
Rocky Mountain Seed Co
Roots and Rhizomes
Rupp
Seeds for the World
Seminova
Seymour’s Selected Seeds
Snow
Southern States Cooperative, Incorporated
Stokes
Spring Hill Nurseries
Totally Tomato
T&T Seeds
Tomato Growers Supply
The Page Seed Company
The Vermont Bean Seed Company
Tomato Growers Supply Company
Vesey’s Seeds
Vis Seed Company, Inc.
Wayside Gardens
Willhite Seed Co.
William Dam Seeds

About this page:

This page was originally created on Aug 8, 2008, with periodic then sporadic updates over the years. In 2020, we added information regarding Bayer’s taking over Monsanto, et al. In March 2021 and again in November 2024, the original information has been expanded upon and cleaned up to include new and relevant information, and to remove outdated and no longer valid information. The most notable change for 2024 is that there is a GMO seed available to home gardeners.

For this page, GMO = Genetically Engineered (GE or GEO) / Genetically Modified (GM or GMO) Organisms.

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