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What traits have been genetically engineered into crops?
Which foods have been genetically engineered?
What are the health, environmental, and social issues associated with genetic engineering?
How is genetic engineering regulated in the United States?
Media coverage and public opinion of genetic engineering
Printable fact sheets, helpful links, site index, and more
About the creators of the GEO-PIE Project

   The series of fact sheets which follows (below) was developed by the GEO-PIE Project to cover a broad range of issues related to genetically engineered organisms and genetic engineering in U.S. agriculture. They contain up-to-date information that distills much of the content of the GEO-PIE website into brief, topical, easy-to-distribute pages. These educational resources were designed for extension educators, teachers, and consumer, and they may be used as references for your own presentations, or as handouts for distribution to your local audiences, journalists, policy makers, etc.

Our fact sheets are created dynamically and will be updated periodically to keep their contents accurate. Check back with us in the future for updates and additional fact sheets.

Download a copy of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program to view our PDF fact sheets.

Printed versions of these fact sheets may be purchased from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Resource Center. Please contact resctr@cornell.edu (e-mail) or 607-255-2080 (phone) for more information.

Also for Educators:
See the results of our winter 2000-2001 New York State
Educator Needs Assessment Survey.


Fact Sheet 1
Genetically Engineered Foods: In the Marketplace

The basics for consumers: what's been genetically engineered and how prevalent are these foods and food ingredients in your local grocery?

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PDF (80 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 2
Genetically Engineered Foods: Corn

The history and prevalence of GE corn in the U.S. What traits have been added and how long have they been there?

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PDF (81 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 3
Genetically Engineered Foods: StarLink Corn in Taco Shells

In September 2000, U.S. regulators recalled millions of tons of corn and corn-based products after traces of an unapproved variety of GE corn were discovered. Read about "StarLink" corn here.

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PDF (80 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 4
Genetically Engineered Foods: Soybeans

The history and prevalence of GE soybeans in the U.S. What traits have been added and how long have they been there?

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PDF (78 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 5
Genetically Engineered Foods: Canola

Most canola oil in the U.S. is imported from Canada, where most of the crop from which canola is extracted is genetically engineered. What traits have been added and how long have they been there?

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PDF (81 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 6
Genetically Engineered Foods: Cotton

The history and prevalence of GE cotton in the U.S. What traits have been added and how long have they been there?

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PDF (82 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 7
Genetically Engineered Foods: Tomatoes

Follow the rise and fall of the ill-fated GE tomato in the U.S. What traits were added and why did they fail?

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PDF (81 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 8
Genetically Engineered Foods: Resistance to Plant Viruses

Three crops-- squash, papaya, and potato-- have been genetically engineered to be resistant to certain viruses. Learn more about the history and prevalence of GE virus resistance.

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PDF (82 kb, 2 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 9
Genetically Engineered Foods:
U.S. Safety Regulation of Genetically Engineered Crops

Read about the roles of the USDA, FDA, and EPA in the regulation of genetically engineered crops and foods.

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PDF (126 kb, 4 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 10
Genetically Engineered Foods:
Food Safety of Genetically Engineered Crops

What health and food safety issues are commonly associated with GE crops, and how are these risks evaluated? Learn more here.

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PDF (95 kb, 4 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

Fact Sheet 11
Genetically Engineered Foods:
Environmental Safety of Genetically Engineered Crops

What are the environmental safety issues commonly associated with GE crops, and how are these risks evaluated? Learn more here.

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PDF (95 kb, 4 pages): Last Updated May 3, 2003

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Also Available:


Note that the following are previous versions of our fact sheets. These are no longer supported, and some information they contain may be out of date. If you have bookmarked any versions of these fact sheets, please update your links to utilize the newer versions above.



Genetically Engineered Foods In the Marketplace

The old version of Fact Sheet 1. The basics for consumers: what's been genetically engineered and how prevalent are these foods and food ingredients in your local grocery?

Download now
PDF (537 kb, 2 pages)
Last Updated: August 14, 2001


Genetically Engineered Foods 2001:
A Consumer Guide to What's in Store

Developed in collaboration with the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, the content of this flier is similar to the "Genetically Engineered Foods in the Marketplace" (above), but has been reformatted for distrubution in grocery stores and markets.

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PDF (830 kb, 2 pages, folded): Last Updated August 14, 2001

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