| The USDA has partially deregulated GE sugar beets, following a court decision that called for a complete ban. Prior to the court ruling, some 95 percent of sugar beets were genetically engineered, a huge percent considering that they were only allowed on the market a few years ago. About half of the U.S. sugar supply comes from sugar beets, and the rest comes from sugarcane.
According to the article, the planting of GE sugar beets will be done "under closely controlled conditions." The justification is that we must allow the GE sugar beets or else the U.S. won't have enough sugar, a claim that I suspect is entirely false. Without having looked into the matter further, I can easily say that typically U.S. quotas of imported sugar keep the U.S. sugar price artificially high (and the supply artificially low) compared to the world price. In other words, we don't need GE sugar beets. We could simply allow more imported sugar onto our market if we wanted. Clearly, someone in the USDA - or the White House - really, really wants farmers planting GE sugar beets.
The Reuters article adds another line that smells of BS, saying:
The move marks the second-such boost by the United States for contested biotech crops in a week, and underscores U.S. determination to expand the use of GMO crops amid rising global fears over food security and surging prices.
Yes it's true the U.S. government is determined to allow and promote genetically engineered crops, but no, it is not correct that the GE crops are needed as a solution for food security and/or surging prices. In fact, they've got just about nothing to do with global food supplies and prices.
If you'd like to avoid all GE sugar, then stick to other sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey, or buy sugarcane products like sucanat or evaporated cane juice. If you can, go for Fair Trade and organic sugar products. For processed foods that contain sugar, if you stick to organic, you'll avoid the GE sugar. Unless a company pledges to boycott GE sugar in its products, buying organic is the only way to guarantee your food is free of GE sugar. |
