In fact, we digest it like we would any other protein. The same is true of the extra protein made by the herbicide-resistant soybeans. The Food and Drug Administration, which has responsibility for ensuring food safety, used this same logic to reach the conclusion that modified soybeans and corn are substantially equivalent to their conventional counterparts. Critics of genetically modified foods have expressed concern that these types of hybrids could cause allergic reactions. The FDA is well aware of the problem the could occur if allergenic proteins were transferred to other foods without consumer knowledge and has taken steps to prevent that.
Some farmers think so.
It is estimated that about 40 percent of soybeans and 30 percent of corn grown in the United States this past year were genetically modified. In the case of these crops, there are economic as well as environmental incentives to use the modified varieties. In addition to somewhat increased yields, lesser quantities of herbicides and pesticides are needed. That lowers production costs and decreases the addition of chemicals to the environment. Still, these are only two of the first-generation crops that have been produced by biotechnology.