A new article, published in the Food Chemistry journal, provides scientific evidence that FDA’s claim that genetically engineered crops are “substantially equivalent” to traditional crops is false.

The study, “Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans,” analyzed three groups of soybean samples: genetically modified (GMO) soybeans, non-GMO soybeans grown conventionally (with chemicals), and non-GMO soybeans grown organically. Results showed that the organic soybeans had the healthiest nutritional profile and less saturated fat than the conventional and GMO soybeans.

In addition to being less nutritious, the GMO soybeans also contained significant levels of glyphosate (the herbicide used on Roundup Ready crops) and Aminomethyphosphonicacid (AMPA). AMPA, the chemical compound that glyphosate breaks down to, is even more toxic than glyphosate. While the residue levels are below the EPA’s tolerance levels, they are dramatically higher than levels shown to cause severe harm to beneficial microorganisms that are needed in the digestive tracks of both livestock and humans.

The findings of this study directly contradict FDA’s 1992 claim that GMO crops are “substantially equivalent” to non-GMO crops. That crucial false finding by FDA led to the agency abandoning its responsibility to American consumers to determine whether GMO foods are safe or not.

This study also reveals that many of the studies on glyphosate-resistant, or “Roundup Ready,” GMO crops have been deeply flawed, since they have looked at the crop by itself and not as it is typically grown, with multiple applications of glyphosate.

This study further emphasizes the need for labeling of all food that contains ingredients from GMO crops and the need for FDA to re-examine its assumptions about substantial equivalence of GMO crops.

Click here to read the article.
 

ABSTRACT

This article describes the nutrient and elemental composition, including residues of herbicides and pesticides, of 31 soybean batches from Iowa, USA. The soy samples were grouped into three different categories: i) genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant soy (GM-soy); ii) unmodified soy cultivated using a conventional “chemical” cultivation regime; and iii) unmodified soy cultivated using an organic cultivation regime.

Organic soybeans showed the healthiest nutritional profile with more sugars, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose, significantly more total protein, zinc and less fibre than both conventional and GM-soy. Organic soybeans also contained less total saturated fat and total omega-6 fatty acids than both conventional and GM-soy.

GM-soy contained high residues of glyphosate and AMPA (mean 3.3 and 5.7 mg/kg, respectively). Conventional and organic soybean batches contained none of these agrochemicals. Using 35 different nutritional and elemental variables to characterise each soy sample, we were able to discriminate GM, conventional and organic soybeans without exception, demonstrating “substantial non-equivalence” in compositional characteristics for ‘ready-to-market’ soybeans.

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