In terms of the absolute value, the GM sweet corn harvested in the United States in 2010 was not a small number, which is enough to prove that Americans eat GM foods. However, the share of the entire planting situation is rather small.
Yan Yan
Popular vegetables
Sweet corn is a kind of vegetable corn. In general, the grain content of corn kernels is generally about 4%, while that of sweet corn is generally about 10%, and some are as high as 12%. Because of its high sugar content in corn kernels, the surface of the grain is less waxy, delicate in taste, and cocoon in nature, so it is popular among consumers and is a common item on the table.
Sweet corn products generally include fresh sweet corn cobs and frozen or canned corn kernels. The United States is the world's main producer of sweet corn. The Florida and North Central states are the main producing areas for sweet corn in the United States. Among them, Florida is the main fresh sweet corn cob supply site in the United States, especially in the winter. In addition, sweet corn grown in coastal states such as California, New York, and Georgia is mainly used for fresh sweet corn. Sweet corn grown in central and northern states, such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington, is primarily used for sweet corn processing, for freezing or canning.
Sweet corn is one of American's favorite vegetables, and almost everyone eats it. Therefore, due to the listing of genetically modified sweet corn varieties, eating genetically modified sweet corn has become a major example of Americans eating GM foods. So, what is the popularity of genetically modified sweet corn? Do Americans really eat GM sweet corn? To know the answer, it is sufficient to look at the proportion of the GM sweet corn harvest in the total US sweet corn harvest. This is because sweet corn is almost entirely for human consumption.
Why do individuals not grow
However, it is not easy to understand the annual yield of GM sweet corn or all sweet corn in the United States. The U.S. federal government does not count the genetically modified sweet corn separately, but counts all the genetically modified corn together. Therefore, the U.S. federal government does not have official official data on the yield of genetically modified sweet corn. Even Syngenta, which sells genetically modified sweet corn seeds in the United States, did not publish relevant data. Therefore, this data can only be estimated from other statistical data.
In the United States, sweet corn planting is divided into individual sporadic planting and commercial planting by contract. Individual sporadic plantings are generally small in size, or three or five plants, or one or two acres, or consumed at home, or sold at individual stalls or in local shops. For the total harvest of these sweet corns, the government couldn't figure out exactly.
However, GM maize seeds are not “retailed†in the United States, ie they are sold to individuals in small quantities. This does not mean that individuals are not allowed to plant genetically modified corn, but US law requires that a regular width of conventional corn must be planted around the periphery of any GM corn field in order to avoid pollution caused by escape of genetically modified corn pollens. Moreover, GM corn growers are obliged to record a series of production, ecological, and environmental data during the planting of GM corn and report to the seed company on schedule. The seed company also regularly reports to the US Environmental Protection Agency every year. With regard to these legal obligations and requirements, sporadic growers are unable to satisfy them. In the end, they cannot grow.
Thus, sporadic planting of sweet corn does not have genetically modified sweet corn. This part of the sweet corn is the majority of Americans, especially Americans living in suburban and rural areas, who consume all or most of fresh sweet corn.
0.1% share
The commercial cultivation of sweet corn, whether it is used for fresh corn cobs or for frozen cans and other processing, is almost always planted according to contract, and there is exact data. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the 2010 production year, the United States harvested a total of approximately 123,310 kilotonnes of sweet corn, of which approximately 1,322 kilotons were consumed as fresh sweet corn cobs. Since the 2011 sweet corn planting season is not yet over, there is no data yet.
Shelton and Olmstead of the Department of Entomology at Cornell University recently wrote a survey report, which mentioned that the US's genetically modified sweet corn is used almost entirely as a fresh sweet corn cob. Almost no use for sweet corn processing. This conclusion is consistent with a survey conducted by Minnesota, the largest sweet corn producer in the United States.
According to Sheldon and Olmsted's estimates, in the 2010 production year, the whole country's genetically modified sweet corn accounts for about 10% of fresh sweet corn cobs. Sheldon told the author that this result was derived from interviews with seed companies and corn processing plant stakeholders and farmers. There was no difference in yields between transgenic sweet corn and non-GM sweet corn that had taken pest control measures. In this way, the number of GM sweet corn harvested in the United States in 2010 should not exceed 132 kilotonnes.
In absolute terms, this is not a small number, enough to prove that Americans eat genetically modified sweet corn. However, regarding the overall planting situation, genetically modified sweet corn accounts for only about 0.1% of the total harvest of sweet corn planted on the contract in the same year. This is undoubtedly a relatively small share, small enough to assume that the current genetically modified sweet corn varieties are not popular in the United States, and it can be said that there is basically no market.
Most people require annotation
Some people may have doubts, is not to say that surveys show that the market share of GM sweet corn in the United States can reach 44%? In fact, this is another half-truth message. It is not the actual area planted or sold in the United States for genetically modified sweet corn, but it was Pennsylvania State University’s JS James in the summer of 2001, at a few stores in central Pennsylvania and at a meeting at Penn State University. The result of a simple sales test done. The quiz did not undergo a rigorous scientific design. Most Americans are indeed not afraid of eating genetically modified foods, as long as the genetically modified foods are beneficial or beneficial to them. However, according to sampling surveys conducted by major media, about 80% of people in the United States require foods to clearly indicate whether they contain GM and which type of transgene. So the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently holding a hearing. Some people vigorously promote the sale of genetically modified sweet corn seeds, does not mean that there are many people. The fate of genetically modified potatoes, genetically modified wheat, and genetically modified vegetables in the United States has actually demonstrated this point.
It should be pointed out that the reason why the number of GM sweet corn grown in the United States is so small is not because GM sweet corn is toxic to humans. At present, the varieties of transgenic sweet corn that are produced are almost all containing insecticidal transgenes. They did not differ in quality, taste, and price compared to non-GM sweet corn. However, because sweet corn consumers do not receive direct benefits, the market share is very small.
In the United States, sweet corn belongs to the vegetable category and is counted separately from the valley corn. The United States also has a corn called popcorn. It is all used to make popcorn. It is also counted separately. In this type of corn, there are currently no genetically modified varieties.
The market decides everything
According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the 2010-2011 production year, the United States produced a total of 338,751 kilotons of corn kernels. Of these, about 73% are genetically modified corn. In all grain corn kernels, about 36%, 35%, 13% and 8% are used for roasted alcohol, feedstuffs, exports, and seeds and other industrial uses. They are used directly in foods (including all cornmeal included). About 1.6% of the finished food products).
It is not easy to find out how much of this 1.6% is genetically modified corn. This is because, in the U.S. cereal market, corn is only used for feed and general purpose. No special labeling and classification of genetically modified corn. Therefore, the U.S. government does not have statistics on the use of GM corn. However, the GM maize in the United States is recorded in detail from species to income. Therefore, you can specify in the purchase contract that you do not buy genetically modified corn or do not buy a certain kind of genetically modified corn. For example, a recent Bunge North America (Bunge North America) told its corn provider that it did not acquire a certain GM corn that was developed by Syngenta, because there was a big buyer.
As far as I know, many large food processors in the United States do not currently use genetically modified corn. This is not to say that there is a problem with GM corn, but a strategy to reduce costs in order to cope with diversified customers around the world. Again, the market decided everything.
(The author is a professor of biology and microbiology at South Dakota State University, USA)
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