Are You Drinking GMO Beer?

Both are forms of GMO products. Researchers can cross-breed crops normally/"naturally" with early genetic screening to eliminate unfavorable varieties days to years earlier than typically required to grow a viable crop for examination/testing. The final selected product is grown "naturally" but still called "GMO" because the process of development was sped-up, i.e. manipulated, by a genetic tool. There are also genetic tools, like CRISPR, that can insert genes to a genome, which I'm personally not against, but I do understand that there probably should be more regulatory scrutiny of this application. Similarly, the GMO label does not differentiate Round-up ready crops (which I do not support), or crops with drought resistance, more nutrients, or improved storage/shipping properties, i.e. less waste (which I do support).

IMO, the problem is a single GMO label doesn't convey much information about the actual product, genetic process, or potential risk/benefit, but it does produce a strong emotional response among some people who resist all GMO products, which I think is unfortunate.

 

This isn't true in any official context. All regulatory bodies consider organisms that have had foreign genetic material inserted into their genome to be genetically engineered or bioengineered. None consider products that result from natural breeding, even if that breeding was assisted by gene sequencing technology, genetically engineered.

The US government doesn't consider an organism to be genetically modified unless the changes made to the genetic material could not happen through natural breeding. This is what allows many products made using CRISPR to avoid any disclosure requirements. In the case of the yeasts used in brewing, a couple that I've read about just had portions of their genome removed.

 

@unlikelyspiderperson you didn't quote or read my full statement. Here is is again with bold and underlining for assistance:

I'm not sure how I can make that clearer, without being redundant.

 

I read it. Genetic screening is not genetic modification or engineering. You're describing gene marker assisted breeding. It's extremely common these days, especially in commodity crops. No regulatory body anywhere considers that genetic engineering.