These resources have been provided by UConn faculty and staff members. Inclusion of these resources does not indicate endorsement. Select a link below to skip to that section.
GMO Panel Presentation Resources
From our Team
Unpeeled Game – The Case Files of Maya McCluen
- Our team worked with the Learning Games Laboratory at New Mexico State University to create an interactive learning activity about the non-GMO food marketing label on orange juice.
Facts about Non-GMO Food Marketing Labels
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ask UConn Extension: What do the Food Labels “Organic,” “Natural,” and “Non-GMO” Really Mean?
GMOs and Misinformation Podcast
- Robert Bird joined Kevin Folta for a podcast episode on Talking Biotech about GMOs and misinformation.
- Extension educator John Bovay explains what a GMO is, and labeling information.
Video: The American Chestnut Tree: A GMO Story
- Extension educator Bob Ricard shares the story of a blight that killed the American Chestnut tree, and how GMO technology could bring them back.
- Do you know someone with diabetes? While most people may associate GMOs with food products, their use actually began in the medical field with insulin.
- The fact card has answers to commonly asked questions about GMOs.
- Robert Bird wrote an article for the Hastings Law Journal on the influence of anti-GMO campaigns on public policy.
Radio Interview: Cindy Tian on WILI 1400
- Animal Science faculty member Cindy Tian discusses GMOs with Wayne Norman on WILI 1400
When did GMO become a dirty word?
- Editorial written by Extension program specialist Stacey Stearns on perceptions of GMOs.
Radio Interview: Stacey Stearns on BYU Radio
- Extension program specialist Stacey Stearns discusses GMOs and consumers perceptions on Top of Mind with Julie Rose.
Molecular Genetics Curriculum for K-12 Teachers
- These resources will help teachers develop experiential learning projects for their students to gain an appreciation for molecular genetics.
- Two-week paid continuing education program for high school teachers
- Teacher training workshop to help students determine if their lunches contain GMO foods
UConn Researcher Weighs in on USDA and GMOs
- Yi Li, professor of plant science and landscape architecture, and his team have developed a new technique that uses gene-editing technology without introducing foreign genes, a strategy that may help alleviate the effects of a devastating citrus disease in Florida.
These CRISPR-modified Crops Don’t Count as GMOs
- Increasing crop yields through conventional plant breeding is inefficient – the outcomes are unpredictable and it can take years to decades to create a new strain. On the other hand, powerful genetically modified plant technologies can quickly yield new plant varieties, but their adoption has been controversial. Many consumers and countries have rejected GMO foods, even though extensive studies have proved they are safe to consume.
Agricultural Economist Measures Impact of Forthcoming GMO Labeling Law
- A new label on food packaging could soon alter the purchasing habits of American shoppers and significantly affect producer operations. A federal law will take effect in July 2018 that informs consumers about the genetic science that may be at work behind their favorite foods. This designation may lead to price increases and other far-reaching consequences in the grocery industry and beyond, says Assistant Professor John Bovay of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UConn Extension, and the College’s GMO Working Group. Bovay has started investigating how the execution of the legislation might take shape and the ways it could reverberate through the national economy.
What Are GMOs? A Primer for FDA and USDA Labeling
- With proposed new food labeling guidelines under public discussion, UConn’s John Bovay clarifies what the term genetically modified organism really means. (Video by UConn)
GMO Panel Presentation
Video: GMO Panel Presentation – April 24, 2019
Video: GMOs: Answering Difficult Questions from your Customers
- Paul Vincelli Slides
- Handout: Promoting Dialogue on GMO Crops
- Handout: Quotes from Science Academies on Consuming GMO Crops
General
Statement on Labeling Genetically Modified Food by AAAS Board of Directors
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science issued a statement on labeling genetically modified foods.
Should We Care If We’re Eating GMOs?
- WNPR interviews Dr. Margaret Smith from Cornell, McKay Jenkins from the University of Delaware and Rodger Phillips of SubEdge Farm in Farmington.
National Academy of Science Report on Genetically Engineered Crops
- This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology.
USDA Report: Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States
- This report examines issues related to three major stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology: genetically engineered seed suppliers and technology providers (biotech firms), farmers, and consumers.
- This website provides educational resources focused broadly on issues related to agriculture, crops, animals, foods and the technologies used to improve them.
Center for Science in the Public Interest
- The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s resource library is the place to find primary source material such as fact sheets, legal and regulatory filings, letters to agencies, infographics, and other documents.
Public Opinon on Genetically Engineered Foods
- An article by Cary Funk and Brian Kennedy on the Pew Research Center about genetically modified food, public opinion, and trust of scientists.
- A Pew Research Center article by Cary Funk and Brian Kennedy about organic, GMO, eating healthy, and differing opinions.
Regulation
- This article by Regulatory Focus reviews the US history and impact of genetically engineered crops over two decades, explains the federal oversight of GE crops and discusses improvements to federal oversight to ensure the safety of GE crops and greater consumer confidence in GE foods. The article also discusses public attitudes toward GE foods and the issues surrounding the labeling of those foods, including the law requiring mandatory disclosure signed by President Obama on 29 July 2016.
Pests & Pesticides
Genetically Engineered Crops and Pesticide Use in U.S. Maize and Soybeans
- The widespread adoption of genetically engineered crops has led to changes in pesticide use, but the nature and extent of these impacts remain open questions. This study looks at the issue with a unique, large, and representative sample of plot-level choices made by U.S. maize and soybean farmers from 1998 to 2011.
GMOs and Pesticides: Helpful or Harmful?
- In this Harvard University blog post, the authors discuss how genetically modified organisms are often engineered to be more resistant to pesticides or produce pesticides themselves. They answer the question, how are GMOs changing the landscape of pesticide usage in our crop fields, and ultimately, the pesticide dosage in our dinners?
- This article describes the nutrient and elemental composition, including residues of herbicides and pesticides, of 31 soybean batches from Iowa, USA. The soy samples were grouped into three different categories: (i) genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant soy (GM-soy); (ii) unmodified soy cultivated using a conventional ‘‘chemical’’ cultivation regime; and (iii) unmodified soy cultivated using an organic cultivation regime.
Navigating a Critical Juncture for Sustainable Weed Management
- In this article, the authors discuss the risks to sustainable agriculture from the new resistant crops and present alternatives for research and policy.
Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the U.S. – the First Sixteen years
- This article presents a model that was developed to quantify by crop and year the impacts of six major transgenic pest-management traits on pesticide use in the U.S. over the 16-year period, 1996–2011: herbicide-resistant corn, soybeans, and cotton; Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn targeting the European corn borer; Bt corn for corn rootworms; and Bt cotton for Lepidopteron insects.
Biotechnology
- The Dean of Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences charged a faculty committee to review and summarize key considerations related to genetically engineered (GE) organisms. Committee members drafted this series of white papers as a service to the public for the purpose of providing information from several scientific perspectives.
Harvard Kennedy School: Taking Root – Global Trends in Agricultural Biotechnology
- This paper reviews global trends in the application of agricultural biotechnology.
Agricultural Biotechnology: Before You Judge
- This publication offers readers the opportunity to judge for themselves the contributions that biotechnology may make to our food and agricultural system, and how you might participate in the development, regulation, adoption, and use of agricultural biotechnology.
Sustainability Through Biotech Innovation
- Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue shares thoughts on feeding the world using sustainability through biotech innovation in this podcast.