I get asked the question at the Farmer's Market often, "Are the grains I use in my breads non-GMO"? All of my grains I use in my baked items are Organic or Certified Chemical Free. Organic products must be GMO-free by definition and are certified by a third party. All of my wheat comes exclusively from North America; GMO wheat is not approved for sale or is there commercial production in North America.
What are GMOs?
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are organisms whose genetic makeup was not created through traditional cross-breeding methods (hybridization) or naturally in the wild. This manipulation of DNA is known as genetic engineering, so GMO foods are often called “genetically engineered.” GMOs are found extensively in major crops grown in the United States, like corn and soy but not wheat.
The wheat we harvest and consume today is the result of many years of traditional (selective) breeding by farmers and scientists, where the desirable traits of two different wheat plants (of the same species) are combined in a new hybrid by mating different parent varieties. Before humans began to facilitate this hybridization, the process happened naturally when different varieties of wheat cross-pollinated; hybridization has been going on, so far as agricultural historians are able to track, for nearly 10,000 years.
Traits identified as desirable in wheat include better drought tolerance, fuller seed heads, better baking quality and shorter stalks, among others. Continuing hybridization has led to wheat varieties that use fewer resources (fertilizer, water, fuel) and yield more wheat per acre.
As of 2013, no GM (genetically modified) wheat has been approved for release anywhere in the world. There have been 34 field trials of GM wheat which have taken place in Europe and 419 have taken place in the US as of 2013. Modifications tested include those to create resistance to herbicides, create resistance to insects and to fungal and viruses, tolerance to drought and resistance to salinity, heat tolerant. increased content of gluten to aid bakers, and to improved nutrition.
That is why you don't see claims on flour that it's non-GMO, not to say this will not happen in the future. Wheat is a major export for the U.S and the countries that buy the wheat from us do not want GMO wheat, so as of right now it's not profitable for the farmers to grow genetically modified wheat.
References:
King Arthur Flour
wikipedia.org
What are GMOs?
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are organisms whose genetic makeup was not created through traditional cross-breeding methods (hybridization) or naturally in the wild. This manipulation of DNA is known as genetic engineering, so GMO foods are often called “genetically engineered.” GMOs are found extensively in major crops grown in the United States, like corn and soy but not wheat.
The wheat we harvest and consume today is the result of many years of traditional (selective) breeding by farmers and scientists, where the desirable traits of two different wheat plants (of the same species) are combined in a new hybrid by mating different parent varieties. Before humans began to facilitate this hybridization, the process happened naturally when different varieties of wheat cross-pollinated; hybridization has been going on, so far as agricultural historians are able to track, for nearly 10,000 years.
Traits identified as desirable in wheat include better drought tolerance, fuller seed heads, better baking quality and shorter stalks, among others. Continuing hybridization has led to wheat varieties that use fewer resources (fertilizer, water, fuel) and yield more wheat per acre.
As of 2013, no GM (genetically modified) wheat has been approved for release anywhere in the world. There have been 34 field trials of GM wheat which have taken place in Europe and 419 have taken place in the US as of 2013. Modifications tested include those to create resistance to herbicides, create resistance to insects and to fungal and viruses, tolerance to drought and resistance to salinity, heat tolerant. increased content of gluten to aid bakers, and to improved nutrition.
That is why you don't see claims on flour that it's non-GMO, not to say this will not happen in the future. Wheat is a major export for the U.S and the countries that buy the wheat from us do not want GMO wheat, so as of right now it's not profitable for the farmers to grow genetically modified wheat.
References:
King Arthur Flour
wikipedia.org
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