Insect-resistant Bt corn and cotton and herbicide-tolerant soybeans are planted widely in the US. Within two decades GM varieties dominate these crops in the Americas.
Contested history
Consensus: Major scientific bodies find approved GM crops as safe to eat as conventional ones; debates continue over ecology, herbicide use and corporate control.
Approved GM foods are as safe to eat as conventional foodsEstablished
The 2016 US National Academies review and bodies such as the WHO and the European Commission's research reviews found no evidence of greater health risk.
GM foods cause cancer or other illnessUnsupported
The best-known study claiming tumors in rats (Seralini 2012) was retracted by its journal, and no reliable evidence supports the claim.
Herbicide-tolerant crops have bred resistant weedsEstablished
Heavy glyphosate use on tolerant crops has selected for resistant weeds across the US and elsewhere.
GM crops consolidate seed industry powerMatter of opinion
Patents and a few large firms dominate GM seed, but whether this is harmful depends on economic and political judgments.