feed your mind

Get more information about GMOs at www.fda.gov/feedyourmind. 

GMO alfalfa is primarily 

used to feed cattle—mostly 

dairy cows. Most GMO 

alfalfa6 is resistant 

to herbicides, allowing 

farmers to spray the crops 

to protect them against 

destructive weeds that can 

reduce alfalfa production 

and lower the nutritional 

quality of the hay.

Alfalfa

Most GMO corn is created to resist insect pests 

or tolerate herbicides. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn 

is a GMO corn that produces proteins that are toxic 

to certain insect pests but not to humans, pets, 

livestock, or other animals. These are the same types 

of proteins that organic farmers use to control insect 

pests, and they do not harm beneficial insects, such 

as ladybugs. GMO Bt corn reduces the need 

for spraying insecticides while still preventing 

insect damage. While a lot of GMO corn goes into 

processed foods and drinks, most of it is used to 

feed livestock, like cows, and poultry, like chickens. 

In 2020, 92%1 of corn planted was GMO corn. 

CORN

GMO canola is used mostly to make 

cooking oil and margarine. Canola seed 

meal can also be used in food for animals. 

Canola oil is used in many packaged 

foods to improve food consistency. Most 

GMO canola is resistant to herbicides 

and helps farmers to more easily control 

weeds in their fields. In 2013, GMO 

canola made up 95%5 of canola planted.

Canola

Most soy grown in the United States is 

GMO soy. Most GMO soy is used for 

food for animals, predominantly poultry 

and livestock, and making soybean oil. 

It is also used as ingredients (lecithin, 

emulsifiers, and proteins) in processed 

foods. In 2020, GMO soybeans made 

up 94%1 of all soybeans planted.

Soybean

GMO cotton was created 

to be resistant to bollworms 

and helped revive the Alabama 

cotton industry. GMO cotton 

not only provides a reliable source 

of cotton for the textile industry, 

it is also used to make cottonseed 

oil, which is used in packaged foods 

and in many restaurants for frying.

GMO cottonseed meal and hulls are 

also used in food for animals. In 

2020, GMO cotton made up 96%1

of all cotton planted.

Cotton

Sugar beets are used 

to make granulated 

sugar. More than half 

the granulated sugar 

packaged for grocery 

store shelves is made 

from GMO sugar 

beets. Because GMO 

sugar beets are 

resistant to herbicides, 

growing GMO sugar 

beets helps farmers 

control weeds in their 

fields. In 2013, GMO 

sugar beets made up 

99.9%5 of all sugar 

beets harvested.

Sugar Beet

PACKAGED FOODS ANIMAL FOOD

GMO Crops

in the U.S.

Only a few types of GMO 

crops1 are grown in the 

United States, but some 

of these GMOs make up 

a large percentage of the 

crop grown (e.g., soybeans, 

corn, sugar beets, canola, 

and cotton). Most GMO 

plants are used to make 

ingredients that are then 

used in other food products. 

For example, cornstarch 

can be made with GMO 

corn and sugar can be made 

with GMO sugar beets. 

WHOLE PRODUCE

By the 1990s, ringspot virus 

disease had nearly wiped 

out Hawaii’s papaya crop, 

and in the process, almost 

destroyed the papaya 

industry in Hawaii. A GMO 

papaya,

3 named the 

Rainbow papaya, was 

created to resist ringspot 

virus. This GMO saved 

papaya farming4 on 

the Hawaiian Islands.

Papaya Some GMO potatoes2 were developed to resist insect 

pests and disease. In addition, some GMO potato 

varieties have been developed to resist bruising and 

browning that can occur when potatoes are 

packaged, stored, and transported, or even cut in 

your kitchen. While browning does not change the 

quality of the potato, it often leads to food being 

unnecessarily thrown away because people 

mistakenly believe browned food is spoiled.

Potato

A few varieties of GMO 

apples were developed to 

resist browning after being 

cut. This helps cut down on 

food waste, as many 

consumers think brown 

apples are spoiled.

Apple

GMO summer squash is resistant to some plant 

viruses. Squash was one of the first GMOs on the 

market, but it is not widely grown.

SUMMER Squash

The GMO pink pineapple was developed to have pink 

flesh by increasing the levels of lycopene. Lycopene is 

naturally found in pineapples, and it is the pigment that 

makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink.

PINK PINEAPPLE 

July 2022 — 1
Sources:

1https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us.aspx

2https://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/13_02201p_dea.pdf

3https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/catalog/490739

4https://www.usda.gov/topics/biotechnology/biotechnology-frequently-asked-questions-faqs

5https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/81176/eib-163.pdf?v=42697

6https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2017/may/genetically-modified-alfalfa-production-in-the-united-states/

July 2022 — 2