What are bio-engineered foods and how are they different from GMO foods?
Bio-engineered (BE) foods are plants or animals containing intentionally modified DNA that cannot be achieved through traditional breeding or found in nature, defined by the USDA National Bio-engineered Food Disclosure Standard. While used interchangeably with "GMO," "bio-engineered" is the legal term for labeling, focusing on foods with detectable modified genetic material, rather than highly processed products derived from them.
What are Bio-engineered Foods?
Bio-engineered foods, often termed "GMOs," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic," are created by adding, removing, or rearranging DNA to improve desired traits such as herbicide resistance, improved taste, or higher nutritional value.
Key Usage Examples
Common Ingredients: High fructose corn syrup, sugar from sugar beets, canola oil, and soybean oil.
Produce: "Arctic" apples (non-browning), AquAdvantage salmon, certain varieties of papayas, sweet corn, potatoes, and summer squash.
Processed Foods: Many packaged items containing soy lecithin, cornstarch, or other derivatives.
Differences Between Bio-engineered and GMO Foods
While they represent the same core concept, the terms differ in definition and scope:
Definition/Scope: "GMO" (Genetically Modified Organism) is the broad consumer term for any food product altered using genetic technology. "Bio-engineered" is the strict legal term defined by the USDA for mandatory labeling.
Labeling and Loopholes: The BE standard allows some GMO products (e.g., highly refined sugar or oils where the DNA is undetectable) to be exempt from labeling, making BE a narrower, stricter designation than the colloquial use of "GMO".
Detection: Under the standard, a food must contain detectable genetic material to be labeled as "bio-engineered".
Synonyms: Genetically modified, GE (genetically engineered), transgenic, bio-engineered.
Why the New Term?
The National Bio-engineered Food Disclosure Standard was introduced in 2016 to create a consistent, national, and legally defined standard for labeling, replacing a patchwork of state-level laws, according to USDA documentation all begins with an idea.
Source: The Non GMO Project
