Home : Risks & Benefits
Risks and benefits of genetic engineering
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
  
Monarch butterflies have come to symbolize the potential risks of genetically-engineered crops-- despite that recent research shows little risk of harm to their larvae.
What are some of the more common issues associated with the use of genetic engineering in agriculture?
   

On This Page:

Health related issues
Environmental and ecological issues
Social issues
   
Health related issues:

Food Allergies
Could genetically engineered plants cause food allergies?
Related news: Starlink corn in taco shells

Food toxicity and antinutrients
Could GE foods be more toxic or less nutritious?

Crops producing pharmaceutical compounds
In the news: Biotech company investigated when experimental corn variety contaminates soybeans.

Antibiotic resistance
Could GE plants increase antibiotic resistance in bacteria?

US regulation of food safety
How does the FDA (and to a smaller degree, the EPA) regulated the food safety of GE foods?

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Environmental and ecological issues:

Pesticide Use
Do GE plants reduce (or increase) agricultural pesticide use?

Increased weediness
Are GE plants more likely to be "weeds?"

Horizontal gene transfer
Can GE plants transmit their genes to other crop or weed species?

Impact of Bt-corn on monarch butterflies
Do GE plants carrying the "Bt" trait harm non-target insects?

US regulation of environmental safety
How do the USDA and EPA regulate the environmental safety of GE plants?

Related news: Environmental review in Science
A recent article in the journal Science reviewed current scientific research on the environmental impact of genetically engineered plants and concluded that "key experiments on both the environmental risks and benefits are lacking." Read more here.

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Social issues:

Consumer labeling
Should foods derived from GE plants be labeled?

"Terminator" technology
Can farmers be forced to quit saving harvested seed for planting and to buy new seed from a seed company every year?

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