How widespread are GM foods?

In the United States, genetically modified crops have become very widespread.

More than 93 percent of the corn and soy planted in the United States is genetically modified in some way. Most of that ends up as animal feed, ethanol, or corn syrup — and corn syrup gets into lots of foods. Cotton, sugar beets, and canola are also common genetically modified crops. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of processed foods in grocery stores contain at least some genetically modified ingredients.

Animals are a slightly different story. There are currently no genetically modified animals that have been approved for use as food in the United States, although there’s a type of GM salmon that’s currently awaiting regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Companies have also used genetic engineering to create certain enzymes and hormones for cheese and milkproduction.

Around the world, the vast majority of GM crops are grown in just five countries: the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and India. In 2013, more than 12 percent of global farmland (175 million hectares) was given over to GM crops, although growth appears to be slowing:

Nature

Here’s a full list of the countries that are planting genetically modified crops around the world.

Will you join us?

Our biggest supporters are our readers — and we’re so grateful to everyone who has made a contribution during our September campaign. We’re less than 1,000 contributions away from reaching our goal for the month, which in turn will allow us to say yes more often when our incredible journalists come to us with questions they want to answer and projects they want to pursue. Will you make a contribution before the month ends and support our policy coverage through 2024 and beyond?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via