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Am I eating genetically engineered foods?
The Big Players: soybeans, corn, canola, cotton
The Little Guys: potato, squash/zucchini, papaya, tomato, sugarbeets, rice, flax, radicchio
All other plants and animals
GE bacteria, fungi, and yeast in food production

The simple answer is yes. Recent estimates suggest that more than 60% of food products on US shelves may contain at least a small quantity of some crop that has been genetically engineered. But which foods? As it turns out, because products made from GE plants are not required to be labeled in the US, that's a difficult question to answer. But the information that follows should give readers a rough estimate of the prevalence of specific GE plants in the foods we eat.

There are 12 different genetically engineered plants that have been approved for commercial production in the US. A simple rule of thumb might be that any food containing ingredients from one of these 12 plants could be from a GE variety. For example, because there are several approved varieties of GE corn, any product containing corn-- be it canned corn, corn syrup, cornstarch, or popcorn-- might contain GE corn. But this isn't necessarily true: many approved varieties have never been marketed, were available only for a short time and then pulled from shelves, or are available only in certain markets or products.

So how common are GE foods really? If you walked into your local grocery store and picked up any product at random, how likely is it to contain something genetically engineered? Of the 12 crops for which GE commercial varieties have been approved, here's how likely you are to run across a GE version (listed roughly in order of likelihood). Follow the links for more details.
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Frequently-cited estimates that 60% of the US food products contain GE ingredients are due almost entirely to two crops: corn and soybeans. High adoption rates of GE varieties plus the widespread distribution of corn- and soy-based ingredients in processed foods accounts for the vast majority of foods containing GE. To these, add foods containing oil from canola and cotton, and you cover nearly 100% of the GE plant ingredients in the American diet.

Are you eating GE versions of these foods?

Soybeans: yes.
Varieties of GE herbicide-tolerant soybeans are the most widely-adopted class of GE plants on the market today, accounting for an estimated 81% of the 2003 soybean crop. Soybean-based ingredients-- including oil, flour, lecithin, and protein extracts-- are added to a wide array of processed foods.
Corn: yes.
In the year 2003, about 40% of the US field corn crop was grown to genetically engineered corn hybrids. Because GE corn is not separated from non-GE corn by growers and processors, and because many food ingredients are corn-based, GE corn is likely to be present in most processed foods. GE sweet corn-- sold as fresh ears-- is much less prevalent (3-5%). It is very unlikely that canned sweet corn or popcorn are GE.
Canola: yes.
The US imports most of its canola oil from Canada, where over 60% of rapeseed (the plant from which canola oil is extracted) are GE varieties. Canola oil is used in a wide array of products, including vegetable cooking oils, salad dressings, margarines, processed cheese, "non-dairy" products, chips, fried foods, cookies, pastries, chocolates, candy coatings, confections, cosmetics, soaps and detergents. One form of GE canola is labeled.
Cotton: yes.
GE cotton varieties now account for 71% of the total 2002 cotton crop. Although cotton is used more for textiles than foods, cottonseed oil may be present in a variety of products, including cooking oils, salad dressing, peanut butter, chips, crackers, cookies, and pastry crusts.
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Other approved GE crops are much less commonplace, and many of them have never even made it to the market.

Are you eating GE versions of these foods?

Potato: probably not.
At their peak, GE potato varieties amounted to no more than 2-3% of the US potato market. Due largely to poor sales, all GE potato varieties were discontinued by the developer in March of 2001 and since have not been sold to farmers for planting.
Squash/Zucchini: possibly, but very unlikely.
Several varieties of GE yellow crook-neck squash and green zucchini are marketed by Asgrow Vegetable Seed Co, but very few farmers are growing them.
Papaya: probably not yet.
In the last few years, GE varieties have amounted to more than 50% of Hawaii's papaya production. But most US papayas are imported from Brazil, Mexico, and the Caribbean (and not GE). Your chances are highest in Hawaii or the continental west coast.
Tomato: no.
Although several GE tomatoes have been approved, only Calgene's FlavrSavr-- a financial flop that was only in a few markets from 1995 to 1997-- has ever made it to US consumers.
Sugarbeets: no.
Two varieties of GE sugarbeets have been approved in the US, but they have never been planted commercially, primarily due to growers' concerns over international markets.
Rice: no.
Herbicide-tolerant GE rice was cleared for commercial production in 1999 and given FDA approval in 2000. Its developer, Aventis CropScience, has not yet marketed seeds to growers, and awaits EPA approval.
Flax: no.
Concerned with risking valuable flax markets in Europe, the Flax Council of Canada has prevented GE flax from being grown commercially.
Radicchio (red-heart chicory): no.
Approval for use of a GE male-sterile variety of radicchio for breeding purposes was granted in late 1997, but was voluntarily withdrawn by the developer (Bejo Zaden) in 1999. GE radicchio has never been marketed.
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If your plant-food of interest is not listed among the 12 crops above, then you are not eating a GE version in your food. There are no GE animals approved for human consumption-- you may have heard about fast-growing genetically engineered salmon, but they are not likely to be in the market for several more years, if ever.
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