Food, Inc.

A Robert Kenner Film
PBS Premiere: April 21, 2010Check the broadcast schedule »

GMO Quiz

See correct answers

Special thanks to Gregory Jaffe, the director of the Project on Biotechnology for the Center for Science in the Public Interest ("CSPI"), a non-profit consumer organization located in the United States, for his help fact checking our quiz. He is a recognized international expert on agricultural biotechnology and biosafety and has published numerous articles and reports on those topics.

Photo credits:

  1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/44534236@N00/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
  2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/avyakata/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
  3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/ / CC BY 2.0
  4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/ / CC BY 2.0
  5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketboom/ / CC BY 2.0
  6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nowherenear/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
  7. Courtesy of Participant Media and River Road Entertainment
  8. Courtesy of Participant Media and River Road Entertainment
  9. http://www.flickr.com/photos/janeladeimagens/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
  10. Courtesy of Participant Media and River Road Entertainment
  11. http://www.flickr.com/photos/genbug/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Correct Answers

1. What was the first genetically modified crop to be sold in supermarkets in the United States?
A. FlavrSavr tomato
B. Herculex I corn
C. Knockout corn
D. Endless Summer tomato

The FlavrSavr tomato first became available in U.S. supermarkets in 1994. They didn't sell well and were taken off the market due to commercial failure.

Source: "Instant Expert: GM Organisms," New Scientist magazine, September 4, 2006

2. In what year were GMO seeds first available commercially in the United States?
A. 1984
B. 1989
C. 1996
D. 1998

Source: "The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States," by Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo and Margriet Caswell, USDA, April 2006

3. What is the reason farmers cultivate GMO crops?
A. Increase yields
B. Decrease pesticide input costs
C. Save management time
D. All of the above

Source: "Genetically Engineered Crops Benefit Many Farmers, But The Technology Needs Proper Management To Remain Effective," The National Academy of Sciences, April 13, 2010

4. In how many countries are GMO crops now cultivated?
A. 9
B. 18
C. 25
D. 34
E. 56

According the the 2009 ISAAA survey, a "record 14 million small and large farmers in 25 countries planted 134 million hectares (330 million acres) in 2009, an increase of 7 percent or 9 million hectares (22 million acres) over 2008."

Source: "Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2009" by Clive James, Founder and Chair, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), Board of Directors

5. In which country are the most GMO crops grown?
A. China
B. Brazil
C. Argentina
D. United States
E. Canada

According to the ISAAA 2009 survey: "Of the 25 biotech crop countries (Germany discontinued in 2008 and Costa Rica joined in 2009), 16 were developing and nine industrial. Each of the following top eight countries grew more than 1 million hectares: USA (64.0 million hectares), Brazil (21.4), Argentina (21.3), India (8.4), Canada (8.2), China (3.7), Paraguay (2.2) and South Africa (2.1). The balance of 2.7 million hectares was grown by the following 17 countries, listed in decreasing order of hectarage; Uruguay, Bolivia, Philippines, Australia, Burkina Faso, Spain, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Czech Republic, Portugal, Romania, Poland, Costa Rica, Egypt, and Slovakia. Accumulated hectarage of biotech crops for the period 1996 to 2009 reached almost 1 billion hectares (949.9 million hectares or 2.3 billion acres)."

Source: "Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2009" by Clive James, Founder and Chair, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), Board of Directors

6. What percent of foods in U.S. supermarkets are estimated to contain one ingredient that is derived from GMO crops?
A. 50
B. 60
C. 70
D. 80

Source: "Europe comes up with GM labelling rules," CBC News, July 26, 2001

7. What is the most popular GMO crop cultivated in the United States?
A. Corn
B. Soybean
C. Cotton
D. Squash

Soybeans are a close second.

Source: Acreage Report (PDF), USDA: National Agricultural Statistic Service, June 30, 2009

8. What do biotechnology companies call the process of genetically manipulating plants by adding multiple genes for the same or different traits, such as higher yield and herbicide tolerance?
A. trait stacking
B. genetic retooling
C. DNA-lift
D. gattacazation

Source: Monsanto website

9. What flower leant a gene to rice to synthesize the production of beta carotene in "golden rice"?
A. Tulip
B. Daffodil
C. Rose
D. Sunflower
E. Freesia

"Golden rice" was developed by two European scientists,  Dr. Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of  Technology in Zurich and Dr. Peter Beyer of the University  of Freiburg in Germany to help alleviate Vitamin A deficiencies. Vitamin A deficiency is estimated to affect millions of children around the world. Anywhere from a quarter to half-a-million children in developing countries become blind each year owing to vitamin A deficiency, with the highest prevalence in Southeast Asia and Africa. Two daffodil genes and one bacterial gene were added to the rice DNA to produce pro-Vitamin A. The resulting plants are normal looking except for the grain's yellow color, which denotes the presence of beta-carotene.

Source: Transgenic Crops: An Introduction and Resource Guide, Colorado State University, March 11, 2004

10. What is the concern of anti-GMO activists in Europe and the United States?
A. Unforeseen long-term effects of genetic manipulation
B. Genetic manipulation in humans as a result of consuming GMO food
C. Control of food supply by a small number of seed producers
D. Insufficient testing of GMO crop side effects
E. All of the above

Source: 20 Questions on Genetically Modified Food, World Health Organization, 2010

11. Which of the following fruits and vegetables don't have genetically engineered varieties?
A. Sugar beets
B. Plums
C. Papayas
D. Yellow and green squash
E. Blueberries

Source: "Instant Expert: GM Organisms," New Scientist magazine, September 4, 2006