Issue Briefs

Food Biotechnology

Questions are often asked about biotechnology used in the production of cereal grains and milled grain products.

Biotechnology is technology that is derived from or is applied to living organisms. Some older biotechnologies that have been used by mankind for centuries to produce foods and beverages were derived entirely from nature. Examples are:

• fermentation used in brewing, winemaking and production of other foods and beverages
• production of cheeses using naturally occurring moulds and enzymes
• production of yogurt and cured meats using bacterial cultures

Although mostly based on traditionally used biotechnologies, advanced biotechnologies developed mainly from 1975 to date include those used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, health care diagnostics, advanced industrial materials, food additives and ingredients, agricultural inputs and genetic engineering.

• What does genetically modified mean?
• What is genetically engineered?
• Is wheat genetically modified?
• Is wheat genetically engineered?
• Is wheat flour genetically engineered?
• Are oats and oat products genetically engineered?
• Are corn and corn products genetically engineered?
• How will consumers know if cereal foods contain genetically engineered ingredients?

What does genetically modified mean?

The word modify means to change. The word genetically refers to traits, characteristics or qualities of plants that are determined by their genetic composition as opposed to the conditions under which the plants are grown. Genetic modification can take place in nature or through intervention of man. Genetic modification can occur by the following that are all considered to be included in traditional plant breeding methods:

• spontaneous mutation, a change in genetic structure that is normally expressed in a change in characteristic that occurs without any intervention from mankind, such as a variation in flower colour, leaf pattern or disease resistance
• natural selection, that occurs without intervention from mankind through survival of the most disease resistant or weather tolerant plants
• deliberate selection, of the most desirable plants by man for cultivation and propagation (creating more plants through cuttings, dividing, tissue culture or breeding)
• breeding, that takes known strains or varieties (parents) that have been selected for their desired traits, with the objective of strengthening or combining these traits in the subsequent generations through in-breeding or cross-breeding
• mutagenesis, bringing about mutations (changes in genetic structure that are expressed in plant appearance, growth behaviour or nutritional composition) by exposing plants or genetic material to a chemical or some form of radiation (varieties exhibiting favourable changes are then normally bred with other known varieties)

What is genetically engineered?

Plant varieties that are genetically engineered (GE) are changed in their genetic composition by using advanced biotechnology to re-structure the genetic material within a species or to transplant genetic material from one species to another (transgenic)from others of the same genetic family. As a consequence, such GE varieties are usually different in terms of their appearance, how they grow, their resistance to diseases and pests, processing characteristics or even nutritional composition. Most GE crop varieties developed and commercialized to date have herbicide tolerance or disease resistance traits.

Is wheat genetically modified?

All wheat varieties that are currently commercially grown in Canada and the United States and elsewhere in the world for food use have been modified through selection, mutagenesis and traditional plant breeding methods.. In other words, the genetic composition of these varieties is significantly different from that of the first wheat variety introduced to Canada from Europe in about 1851, known as Red Fife wheat.

Over the past 150 years, farmers and cereal breeders have deliberately tried to develop new wheat varieties that are superior in some way to older varieties. Some of the benefits achieved through this process without the use of genetic engineering have been wheats that have:

• higher yield potential (more grain on the same land area)
• greater resistance to diseases and insect pests
• higher protein content
• shorter required growing season
• better tolerance to drought
• better processing performance

Is wheat genetically engineered?

As of 2006, there are no genetically engineered wheat varieties in commercial production or imported for milling or other food use in Canada.

In order for a wheat variety to be grown commercially for food or animal feed use in Canada, the variety must be licensed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Involved in the massive testing that supports the licensing program is the Canadian Grain Commission, a federal government agency that oversees varietal evaluation, grain inspection and the inspection and licensing of grain handling and processing facilities. To date, no genetically engineered wheats are licensed for production in Canada or the United States.

Although research scientists and cereal breeders in Canada have access to the advanced biotechnologies that allow wheat and other crop species to be genetically engineered, there are no genetically engineered wheat varieties that have been registered for commercial production under the Canadian Grain Commission system.

Is wheat flour genetically engineered?

Because there are no genetically engineered wheat varieties available for milling in Canada, no Canadian wheat flour contains genetically engineered wheat.

Are oats and oat products genetically engineered?

No genetically engineered oat varieties are registered and in commercial production in Canada. Therefore, no Canadian milled oat products are produced from GE oat varieties.

Are corn and corn products genetically engineered?

A number of GE corn varieties are registered and in commercial production in Canada. Milled corn products may contain traces of GE corn varieties, even if corn milling companies adopt a policy of milling only non-GE varieties of corn.

How will consumers know if cereal foods contain genetically engineered ingredients?

Canada has developed a standard for the voluntary labelling of all foods and beverages that contain ingredients derived from genetic engineering. This standard was developed by public consensus under an initiative of the Canadian General Standards Board. The labeling standard may be referenced at www.pwgsc.gc.ca/cgsb.