Soybeans, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar beets are the most common genetically modified crops (Byrne et al., 2014). It is estimated that 60-70% of processed food items in the supermarket contain an ingredient derived from one of these crops such as cornstarch, cottonseed oil, and high fructose corn syrup (Eenennaam, 2014). Foods such as cereal, chips, crackers, breads, cookies, candy, fried foods, salad dressing, infant formula, snack bars, soft drinks, frozen foods, and canned soups and sauces may contain genetically modified ingredients (U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2014a; FDA, 2014b; FDA, 2006; University of Washington, 2013). U.S. consumers are largely unaware that they eat many products derived from genetically modified crops (Fernandez-Cornejo et al., 2014). The following links provide more information on the most common genetically modified crops, products containing ingredients derived from corn and soybean, definitions of processed foods, and a lesson plan on the topic:
- Questions and answers on food from genetically engineered plants
- Products containing ingredients derived from corn and soybean
- Information about processed foods
- A lesson plan on food processing
