GMO Sample Questions

We've been eating GMOs for how long?

15-20 years. About 18 years, in fact. GMOs were introduced in 1996 when Monsanto commercialized Roundup Ready soybeans.

According to the Environmental Working Group, using data from a 2011 study, Americans eat an estimated how many pounds of GMOs annually? 19 193 393 933

193 GMOs are found in most products sold in the US, since genetically modified corn, soybeans, sugar, and canola are common ingredients in processed food and drinks.

How many U.S. states have pending legislation on the labeling of GMOs? 42 22 12 2

22 Polls show that about 90 percent of Americans surveyed support the labeling of GMOs. But only one state has passed such a law.

How many crops come in GMO (transgenic) varieties?

6-10 There are currently eight crops that are commercially available as GMO: Corn (field and sweet), soybeans, canola, cotton, alfalfa, sugar beet, squash and papaya.

A panel of French scientists soundly dismissed which much-cited French study in October, calling it a "scientific non-event"? A) A study finding high tumor rates and early mortality in rats fed genetically modified corn. B) A study finding no correlation between tumors, early mortality and genetically modified corn. C) A study finding that genetically modified corn was associated with an increased life expectancy in rats fed the substance. D) A study finding superior athletic ability in rats fed genetically modified corn.

A) A study finding high tumor rates and early mortality in rats fed genetically modified corn. At this time, it remains unclear whether or not GMOs cause health problems in humans. While some studies have linked GMOs to high levels of bt-toxins in pregnant womens' blood and unnatural hair growth in hamsters' mouths, other studies have refuted these and other concerns about GMO consumption.

What does GMO stand for? A. Genetically modified organism B. Grand money order C. Good marketing option D. Genuine motivation only

A. Genetically Modified Organism

Who is the Executive Director of The Institute for Responsible Technology, an organization that is spearheading the fight against GMOs? A. Jeffrey Smith B. Don Cheadle C. Joshua Rosenthal D. Hillary Clinton

A. Jeffrey Smith

GMOs cause allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. A. True B. False

A. True

Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of articially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. A. True B. False

A. True

When you purchase products labeled "100% organic," "organic," or "made with organic ingredients," all ingredients in these products are not allowed to be produced from GMOs. A. True B. False

A.True

Which food company is the first to introduce a frozen dish with no genetically modified ingredients? American Halal Company Pilgrim's Pride PepsiCo Kraft

American Halal Company A spinach and chickpea dish, sold at Whole Foods stores, is the first frozen entre to be certified as containing no genetically modified ingredients.

Which of these countries does not require labeling on GMO's? US China France Thailand

As of 1998, the European Union requires all genetically modified food to be labeled. China, which adopted the requirement in 2002, is slightly less stringent in its requirement, mandating that only foods on a set list be labeled. As of 2003, Thailand stipulates that a food item that has a genetically modified ingredient as one of the top three ingredients must be labeled as a GMO. As of June 2013, 63 countries required GMO labeling, including Russia, India, South Africa, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. The US does not require labeling, though polls show that there is significant support for such a law.

Companies are required by law to label their products as "non-GMO' or GMO free. A. True B. False

B. False

Which ingredient is one of the most commonly engineered in processed foods? A. Wheat flour B. Gluten C. Vegetable oil D. Unevaporated cane sugar

B. Gluten

What are 2 of the top 4 GM crops? A. Wheat and barley B. Soy and corn C. Tomatoes and peppers D. Kale and spinach

B. Soy and Corn

In what year did Europeans put a stop to GMOs by refusing to sell it in their markets or food stands? A. 1986 B. 1999 C. 2001 D. 2005

B.1999

Which of the following is a source for the transgene in the commercially available GMOs?

Bacteria. Bt crops produce their own protection against insect damage using a protein from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis. Interestingly, the Bt protein is also used as a spray by organic farmers and gardeners.

Which major, Vermont-based retailer announced in June 2013 that its products would no longer contain genetically modified ingredients? Maple Leaf Foods Ben & Jerry's General Mills Hershey's

Ben & Jerry's The company says that the goal is to phase out use of GMOs in US-made Ben & Jerry's ice cream by the end of 2013, but definitely by 2014. Currently, 80 percent of its US-made products are GMO free. In Europe, all of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream is made without GMO ingredients. Bye bye, Fish Food?

Genetic alternations in Bt corn cause it to do what? A.Produce its own insecticide B.Grow significantly faster C.Replant itself D.Become sweeter and juicer

Bt corn, a genetically modified version of corn, produces a toxin that kills pests which land on it. Studies disagree on whether or not the toxin poses a risk to non-pest insects, like the Monarch butterfly. There is also disagreement about whether or not Bt corn is cross-pollinating with non Bt-corn planted nearby, contaminating those crops, and about the risk of insects developing resistance to the toxin. There is also another type of genetically modified corn that's resistant to herbicides.

Which company is the largest biotech company in the world, also responsible for the majority of the GMOs in our food supply? A. Kroger B. Nestle C. Monsanto D. Nike

C. Monsanto

Which is the only commercialized GM fruit? A. Bananas B. Apples C. Papaya D. Plums

C. Papaya

Which state's residents voted down a measure, Prop 37, in November 2012 that would have required the labeling of all genetically modified foods sold there? New York Massachusetts Oregon California

California Supporters of the measure blamed the failure on the huge amounts of cash that major food retailers poured into the campaign against the statute.

Which is the only U.S. state to have passed a law requiring the labeling of genetically modified foods? Florida Wisconsin Connecticut Colorado

Connecticut became the first and only US state to pass a GMO labeling law in June 2013 - though the law comes with the condition that at least four other states, one of which must border Connecticut, must also pass a similar law for it to go into effect.

There are companies that support your right to choose Non-GMO products. Pick one from the choices below. A. Kraft B. Pepsi Cola C. General Mills D. Eden

D.Eden

A Kanas farmer is suing GMO giant Monsanto after one of the company's experimental products was discovered in a field along with non-modified versions of the crop. The discovery caused Japan and South Korea to ban some U.S. imports of what crop? Honey Alfafa Cucumbers Wheat

Ernest Barnes is suing Monsanto for gross negligence after an experimental, not-for-sale version of its genetically modified wheat was found in an Oregon field. As a result, US wheat export projections plummeted, and Japan and South Korea, which require GMOs to be labeled, to temporarily suspend imports of soft white US wheat, which is used mainly to make baked goods and noodles, but did not cancel other wheat imports from the US.

True or False: Monsanto is the only company that makes GMOs.

False. Monsanto is one of the "big six" companies investing in biotechnology in the private sector. The other five include Pioneer, BASF, Syngenta, Dow, and Bayer. But there are plenty of other smaller players around the world working on biotechnology as well.

What does GMO stand for?

In current pop culture usage, GMO refers to any crop that has been genetically altered for certain characteristics. Most GMOs are commodity crops like soybeans or corn, which are not consumed directly but are processed into other supermarket foods, though some GMOs are directly edible, like modified tomatoes.

HR933, dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act" and passed by Congress in March 2013, included what? A ban on the import of all genetically modified foods. Language that prevents federal courts from halting the sale of GMOs (and other protections for GMO producers), should their products eventually be proven to be harmful. A temporary halt on all GMO experimentation in the US. A requirement that all foods sold in the U.S. include some kind of genetic modification.

Language that prevents federal courts from halting the sale of GMOs (and other protections for GMO producers), should their products eventually be proven to be harmful. The bill, currently awaiting President Obama's signature, would be effective only for six months, but could set a precedent for how GMOs and GMO-producing companies are treated under US law. In May 2013, protests called "March Against Monsanto," the giant retailer of genetically modified seeds, were held in 52 countries and 436 cities.

For the consumer, an organic product typically costs how much more than a non-organic product? 5-10 percent higher 10-40 percent higher 40-50 percent higher 50-70 percent higher

Organic foods tend to be 10-40 percent more expensive than conventionally-produced products, and some supporters of GMOs have touted the GMOs as low-cost solutions to world hunger, especially weighed against the hefty price of organic goods. Critics, however, argue that genetic modification technology has not delivered on its promise to increase yield and feed the world, and that organic food may offer more sustainable solutions to international food scarcity.

Where in the grocery store are you most likely to find GMOs?

Packaged food. Aside from papaya and a small amount of sweet corn and squash, packaged/processed foods are where you'll find the majority of ingredients that have been derived from GMOs. Examples include corn oil, cornstarch, cornmeal, soybean oil, soy flour, soy protein, soy lecithin, sugar (from beets, not cane), canola oil, cottonseed oil, and corn syrup. These products are often found in baked goods, cereals, snack foods, foods containing corn sugars/syrup, etc.

GMOs allow farmers to

Spray less pesticide and adopt no-till and reduced-till practices. Bt crops have greatly reduced the amount of insecticide applied to crops, as much as an 18-fold decrease in corn between 1976 and 2010. In fact, in the first 17 years of adoption, biotechnology has reduced pesticide spraying by 503 million kg and has reduced the environmental footprint associated with pesticide use by 18.7 percent. The technology has also significantly reduced the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture equivalent to removing 11.9 million cars from the roads. Part of that is due to reduced or no-till practices made possible by herbicide-tolerant crops like Roundup Ready. Reduced and no-till practices help sequester carbon in the soil.

Which of these animals has been genetically engineered to grow faster, becoming the first animal to be modified specially for human consumption? Salmon Pigs Lobster Chickens

The FDA is the weighing the approval of AquAdvantage transgenic salmon, the first genetically modified animal intended for the dinner table. The modified Atlantic salmon includes growth hormone genes from a Pacific salmon and an eelpout's anti-freeze genes and grows at twice the normal rate of an Atlantic salmon.

True or False: The World Health Organization has stated its opposition to GMOs, citing genetically modified products as hazardous to human health?

The WHO does not oppose GMOs. According to the WHO, "No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved."

Monsanto, the major U.S. retailer of genetically modified seeds, primarily offers what explanation for its opposition to GMO labeling? The technology for GMOs is consistently evolving, and by the time standards for GMO labeling were developed they would already be out of date. It would be environmentally wasteful to produce the labels. Babies might play with the labels and choke on them. The labels would imply to consumers that the foods are dangerous or in some way inferior to conventionally grown foods.

The labels would imply to consumers that the foods are dangerous or in some way inferior to conventionally grown foods. Monsanto writes on its website that labels "could be interpreted as a warning or imply that food products containing these ingredients are somehow inferior to their conventional or organic counterparts."

Which grocery chain became the first in the US to require labeling on all genetically modified foods in its stores? Whole Foods Trader Joe's Wegmans Shaw's

The requirement, announced in March 2013, is scheduled to be in place within five years at all of Whole Foods' 339 stores.

How do genetic modification and hybridization differ? A.GMOs are created by inserting DNA from one species into another species, while hybridization occurs when one variety of the same species breeds with another variety. B.Hybridization is the when two different species cross breed in nature, while genetic modification is when scientists encourage two varieties of the same species to mate in a controlled environment.

Though GMO producers sometimes argue that genetic modification is no different than hybridization, which occurs naturally as species evolve, genetic modification can only be undertaken in the lab, as it involves deliberately breeding two species that would not mate in the wild.

True or false: 93 percent of the total cotton crop sown in India is a GMO?

True Government figures show that 93 percent of the total cotton crop sown in India is Bt cotton, a GMO. The prevalence of the crop is controversial, as the expense of buying the pricy seeds can outweigh the higher crop yields for Indian farmers.

The FDA's 1992 statement - that genetically engineered foods are not 'materially' different from non-engineered food and did not need to be labeled - set what standards for labeling food? Whether or not the difference could be detected by the human senses - taste, smell, etc. Whether or not the food has ingredients produced in a laboratory. Whether or not rodents have eaten the food and survived. Whether or not the ingredients in the food were packaged in the US.

Whether or not the difference could be detected by the human senses - taste, smell, etc. The FDA's 1992 standard has set a precedent that regards genetically modified food as substantially the same as non-engineered food and that has helped keep GMO labels off modified food. Critics of GMOs have argued that the FDA's standard of difference is too low, in that genetically modified foods are produced in a lab and cannot be naturally produced in the wild, leading to health and environmental side effects to which some studies have linked GMOs.

What percentage of the North American food supply contains GMOs? A. 10% B. 25% C. 80% D. 60%

c. 80%