American Perceptions of GMOs: Myths Vs. Facts
With the unprecedented accessibility of information these days, whether on social media, search engines, or from the people we surround ourselves with, it can be difficult to decipher what’s true and what isn’t. Nowhere is this confusion more evident than in decisions around food. Today, non-scientists are left to separate health claims and nutrition facts they see on the internet from fiction, leaving many consumers confused. But when it comes to GMOs, they shouldn’t be.
Big Think recently covered insurance provider netQuote’s survey of 1,021 American adults to gauge feelings and perceptions of GMOs and their safety. The survey found that while 89% of participants knew what GMOs were, topics like their safety were less widely understood. Yet, Big Think’s analysis failed to clear up these misunderstandings, only adding to the confusion about this innovative technology. Here, we debunk the top three GMO misconceptions perpetuated in this article:
Big Think reported, “While nearly two-thirds of respondents felt GMOs could cause cancer, basically no one believed it could help prevent it.”
There is no evidence that GMOs cause cancer. The overwhelming consensus of scientific experts and major scientific authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and American Medical Association, is that GMOs are safe to eat. But much like all fruits and vegetables, genetically modified foods can’t prevent cancer. That much is true! However, GMOs may play a future role in cancer prevention, through traits engineered to manufacture nutrients that help fight cancer or eliminate naturally occurring compounds that heighten cancer risk.
Big Think reported, “As far as the taste of GMOs, it’s a big ‘ho-hum,’ with most people expecting little difference in the flavor of the modified foodstuffs.”
Almost 27% of the netQuote survey’s respondents thought that GMO ingredients change how a product tastes. But this simply isn’t true. As noted above, there are no unintended “side effects” of eating genetically modified products. Only intentional changes are expressed in these products, including drought tolerance, disease resistance, enhanced nutritional content and others.
Big Think noted, “Slightly more parents than not say ‘no’ to the idea of serving GMO food in schools. For adults without kids, the proportions are roughly flipped. No surprise.”
The survey found that more than 95% of parents who always or often avoid GMOs say schools shouldn’t be allowed to serve genetically modified food, yet time and again, GMOs have been proven safe to eat. Ironically, misguided parental fears about the safety and nutritional value of GMOs could actually lead to their children eating less nutritious foods. As some companies move away from GMO products in an effort to tout the “GMO-free” label, some of their products, especially fortified cereals, may suffer from reduced vitamin content, as they must eliminate vitamins created through biotechnology. The bottom line is that there is no nutritional difference between GMOs and their non-GMO counterparts, unless the nutritional content of the GMO crops has been intentionally modified.
Most of us form opinions on things based on what we’ve read or heard, but with topics like GMOs that are prone to misinformation, it is critical to go one step further and distinguish the myths from the facts. Big Think got one thing right in their article: “The best we can do is keep reading up on GMOs and try and sort out the science from the fiction.”
