2

The Role of Genetically
Modified Organisms
(GMOs) in Beverage
Production

Susan Harlander

CONTENTS

History of Genetic ModiÞcation of Food Plants and Animals
Regulation of Genetically ModiÞed Crops
Identity Preservation and the International Market
Detection of Genetically ModiÞed Ingredients
DifÞculties with Product Labeling
The Future of Genetically ModiÞed Foods
In the relatively short time since their commercial introduction in 1996,
genetically modiÞed (GM) crops have been rapidly adopted in the U.S. The
Þrst products of plant biotechnology involve input traits, such as herbicide
tolerance and insect resistance. Of the 51 products reviewed by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the vast majority are commodity
crops such as corn, soybeans, and canola. Because FDA considers these
crops “substantially equivalent” to their traditional counterparts, no special
labeling is required for GM crops in the U.S., and they are managed as
commodities with no segregation or identity preservation (IP). This creates
an issue for multinational beverage manufacturers since labeling guidelines
for and consumer acceptance of GM crops differ in other parts of the world.

formal food or environmental safety evaluation prior to introduction into the
marketplace, whereas genetically engineered crops are required to undergo
extensive food and environmental safety testing before their introduction.
Genetically modiÞed crops were Þrst commercially introduced in the
U.S. in 1996 and have been rapidly adopted by farmers. It has been estimated
that 24% of the corn and almost 70% of the soybeans and cotton grown in
the U.S. in 2001 were GM varieties. Examples of GM crops include insect-
resistant (Bt) corn, cotton, potato, and tomato; herbicide-tolerant soybeans,
corn, rice, sugar beet, ßax, and canola; and virus-resistant squash, papaya,
and potato. Advantages of insect- and virus-resistant crops include improved
yields and reduced use of pesticides. An additional beneÞt of Bt corn is
reduced contamination by fumonisin-producing fungi. Fumonisin is a potent
mycotoxin implicated in esophageal cancer and neural tube birth defects in
humans. Advantages of herbicide-tolerant crops include improved weed con-
trol, reduced crop injury, reduction in foreign matter, reduced fuel use, and
signiÞcant reduction in soil erosion. It is for these reasons that GM crops
are the most rapidly adopted technology in the history of agriculture.

REGULATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

GM crops are regulated in the United States through a coordinated frame-
work developed in 1992 and administered by three agencies: the U.S.

TX110_book Page 10 Tuesday, May 6, 2003 9:21 AM
© 2003 by CRC Press LLCDepartment of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), and the FDA. Rigorous food and environmental safety assessments
must be completed before GM crops can be commercialized. An effective


IDENTITY PRESERVATION
AND THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

In the past, it was not necessary for the food supply chain to segregate and
identity preserve grain destined for ingredient manufacture. However, sev-
eral countries have adopted labeling guidelines for foods containing ingre-
dients derived from GM crops. Because GM foods are perceived negatively
in these countries, food manufacturers try to avoid GM ingredients in order

TX110_book Page 11 Tuesday, May 6, 2003 9:21 AM
© 2003 by CRC Press LLCto avoid labeling their products. Unfortunately, the infrastructure of agri-
culture has not yet evolved to the stage where it can deliver large quantities
of IP grains. When available, IP grains are more expensive than their
conventional counterparts due to the added labor and costs associated with
segregation, quality control, and testing. Comingling of GM with non-GM
crops at any stage in the food ingredient chain from seed to Þnal product
could potentially result in mislabeled products and signiÞcant liability for
the food and beverage industries.

D

ETECTION
OF

laboratory has developed its own testing protocols. False positive and false
negative rates are unacceptably high. No standardization of how the results
are reported to food and beverage companies has been developed. The food
matrix has a dramatic impact on extractability of DNA and protein, and
protocols will need to be developed to take this into account. Since labeling
is not required in the U.S., detection methods have not developed as rapidly
as GM technology. This deÞciency will cause signiÞcant issues as disputes
about the GM status of foods arise. Several efforts are currently underway
to validate and standardize GM testing methods, but to date, only one ELISA
for herbicide-tolerant soybeans has been validated and standardized.

D

IFFICULTIES
WITH

P

RODUCT

L

ABELING

Despite these challenges, some companies are overtly labeling their products
as GMO -free or non-GM. They procure ingredients from suppliers who


substantiate label claims, and substantial liability exists if label claims are
inaccurate. Consumers of processed foods in the U.S. do not appear to be
overly concerned about the presence of GM ingredients. Food manufacturers
have been monitoring their 800 numbers for an indication of how their
consumers feel about GM foods. To date, the number of calls on biotech-
nology remains very small (0.1 to 0.2%) for most major food companies
in the U.S.; however, awareness remains relatively low. Calls increase during
periods of intense media coverage, and companies targeted by activist
groups report periodic increases in numbers of calls. If a brief explanation
of biotechnology is provided, acceptance increases signiÞcantly, indicating
that education is an important factor in consumer acceptance. Finally, the
food and beverage industries hope that the next generation of GM products
will deliver compelling consumer beneÞts.

THE FUTURE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

The next generation of GM foods will focus on “output traits” that provide
tangible consumer-relevant beneÞts. Biotechnology can be used to remove
allergens, natural toxicants, and antinutrients from foods such as peanuts,
soybeans, rice, and wheat. Taste, texture, aroma, ripening time, and shelf
life of fresh fruits and vegetables can be improved. It will be possible to
improve the nutritional quality of foods. Examples include modiÞcation of
the saturation level of oils to produce products high in monounsaturated fatty
acids that are more stable, resist oxidation, do not require hydrogenation,

TX110_book Page 13 Tuesday, May 6, 2003 9:21 AM
© 2003 by CRC Press LLC