Most soybeans in the U.S. have been genetically altered to withstand herbicide applications.
More than 85 percent of all soybeans planted in the U.S. are genetically altered, according to 2004 data from the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. Soybeans are modified more than any other U.S. crop and can be found in many processed foods throughout the country, yet most Americans know little about this genetically modified food. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Definition
A genetically altered, modified or engineered food has been inserted with a foreign gene, or a gene that came from another type of animal or plant with favorable traits. In the case of genetically altered soybeans, bean plants contain foreign gene sequences from the petunia plant, a species of bacteria and the cauliflower mosaic virus. The result is a super soybean that can withstand being sprayed with glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular herbicide, Roundup.
Background
The first genetically modified food on the market, a tomato with a longer shelf-life and supposedly a better flavor, was introduced in 1994. After it was greeted with wariness by consumers, farmers turned their focus from using genetic modification as a marketing tool to using it to improve crop yields. In the mid-1990s, the large agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto developed "Roundup Ready" soybeans and corn that could survive being directly sprayed with herbicides. By 2005, more than 80 percent of U.S. soybeans and cotton crops were estimated to be immune to Roundup, according to Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.
Advantages
In theory, soybeans that are immune to herbicides produce larger crops in a shorter amount of time, because they are not competing with weeds. Since they are not damaged by application of the herbicide, the resulting plants are in better condition. The ability to grow more food on less land has the potential of increasing the food supply, both in the U.S. and abroad. Modified soybeans have health benefits as well; they have since been engineered to have less trans fats and to instead contain healthier mono-saturated fats.
Disadvantages
Some people fear that new types of beans could increase risks for allergy sufferers. Since the genes inserted into genetically modified foods are not required to be labeled, consumers may not realize they are buying a product that contains an allergen. In the 1990s, for instance, the Pioneer Hi-Bred seed company added a gene from a Brazil nut to soybeans in an attempt to make the soy more nutritious. The project was halted when scientists determined the product could cause serious reactions in Brazil nut allergy sufferers, according to a 1999 Washington Post article. With most U.S. soybean crops containing the same specie--the genetically modified Roundup Ready bean--it is possible that a virus, insect, or other environmental factor could cause massive crop failure similar to the Irish potato famine. Genetic modification has also raised new questions about the fairness of the patent system. With Monsanto owning the patent for the majority of U.S. soybeans, most farmers are no longer able to save and replant their soybean seeds.
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