大家知道,目前世界上最广泛种植的转基因食品,是玉米和大豆。但根据《时代周刊》2015年的介绍,实际上作为粮食直接供人食用的只占很少的比例。
USDA Approved Genetically Modified Crops
转基因玉米大多用于饲料,其次是玉米糖浆和玉米淀粉。超市里买的整根玉米棒子(corn on cob),则很少有转基因产品 http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2014/04/corn。2013年的一项调查,美国超市71例调查,只有2例是转基因玉米。
http://www.foe.org/news/news-releases/2013-11-new-study-gmo-sweet-corn-rare-in-us-supermarkets
"Only two corn samples out of 71 (2.4 percent) tested positive as genetically engineered. Both were confirmed to be Monsanto Seminis® Performance Series™ sweet corn."
转基因大豆则多用于饲料和豆油。尽管在美国,家庭烹饪用豆油的很少,但在快餐店和各种零食的加工中却用量很大,以至于占到植物油总用量的60%。
1. Corn
33 Genetically Modified Varieties
2. Soybeans
20 Genetically Modified Varieties
此外,转基因土豆尽管存在,但尚未进入食品市场。而转基因棉花,大家又不会吃进肚子里,就无所谓了。
以下英文版转自 http://time.com/3840073/gmo-food-charts/
These Charts Show Every Genetically Modified Food People Already Eat in the U.S.
Chipotle announced Monday that the chain will no longer serve food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO), raising the bar for transparency in the United States, where there's no requirement to indicate the presence of GMO ingredients on food labels or in restaurants. Likewise, biotechnology companies aren't required to report which genetically modified seeds are used in production.
Yet the use of GMOs is undoubtedly widespread. Since GMOs were approved for commercial use, and then first planted into U.S. soil in 1996, their production has increased dramatically. More than 90% of all soybean cotton and corn acreage in the U.S. is used to grow genetically engineered crops. Other popular and approved food crops include sugar beets, alfalfa, canola, papaya and summer squash. More recently, apples that don't brown and bruise-free potatoes were also approved by the FDA.
Adoption of GMO Crops in the US, 1996-2014
It's also instructive to look at permits granted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — the American GMO gatekeepers, together with the Environmental Protection Agency – though it's important to note that not all the issued permits are for crops that are approved for commercial use.
To produce crops commercially, biotech companies apply for "deregulated status", the green light from the USDA to plant and distribute without restriction.
The bar chart below shows all deregulated crops, sized by the number of genetic varieties approved for each. The ten crops in green are currently produced in the United States, and described in detail in the list below.
3. Cotton
16 Genetically Modified Varieties
4. Potatoes
6 Genetically Modified Varieties
5. Papaya
2 Genetically Modified Varieties
6. Squash
2 Genetically Modified Varieties
7. Canola
2 Genetically Modified Varieties
8. Alfalfa
2 Genetically Modified Varieties
9. Apples
1 Genetically Modified Variety
10. Sugar Beets
1 Genetically Modified Variety
GM crops produced in the U.S. are listed at the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech. Deregulated crops are tracked at the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.