Infographic: genetically engineered crops safer than classically-bred food
Today, crop breeding encompasses a whole range of techniques. The Genetic Literacy Project created an infographic that illustrates the characteristics various methods of crop genetic modification, including how many genes are affected and what types of regulation exists for each technology. The infographic illustrates that traditional breeding, which most consumers are not worried about, is actually the least precise and the least regulated. Newer biotechnologies are more precise, yet more regulated.
Should consumers be more concerned about one type of modification versus another? The evidence suggests ‘no.’ Although many consumers focus most on the process used to create new crops and food, scientists and regulatory agencies in the US and Canada typically focus on products and their safety. This is because various processes can be used to create products with the same level of health and safety. For example, mutagenesis and gene editing (two different processes) could both be used to create a new variety of wheat (the same product).
