ADVANTAGES OF GM FOODS

After a 12 years of use on more than 690.9 million hectares worldwide, plant
biotechnology delivers proven economic and environmental benefits, a solid
record of safe use and promising products for our future. 90 percent of who
farm in developing countries have choose to plant biotech crops.

International regulatory standards for GM crops are affirmed by a decade

of safe use.

Biotech crops are among the most studied and reviewed foods in the world.
Using well-established, internationally accepted standards of risk assessment,
regulatory authorities worldwide have reviewed all biotech crops now on the
market and determined that they pose no more risk than crops produced
through traditional breeding methods.

A proven 12-year history of safe use supports the conclusion that the regulatory
process has been successful. Experts estimate more than 1 trillion meals
containing ingredients from biotech crops have been consumed with no reliable
documentation of any food safety issues for people or animals.

Each year, global population grows by more than 70 million, and agriculture is
required to produce more food with limited land and water resources. Scientists
believe biotechnology holds great potential to help farmers produce more food
— and healthier food — with fewer resources.

Over the next decade, biotechnology promises to deliver products that address
land and resource limitations, such as improved drought tolerance, saline
tolerance and increased yields. The research also will deliver products with
direct consumer benefits such as enhanced nutrition, convenience and taste.
For example:

Food ingredients in which the major allergenic proteins are modified or

eliminated.

Rice enriched with beta-carotene, which stimulates production of vitamin

A. Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 500,000 children and up to 2
million deaths annually.
 Plants that can tolerate stress from harsh environments — such as arid
or saline soils, cold environments or low nutrient availability — and
continue to produce food.

Farmers have decreased pesticide applications by 289,000 metric tons.

Consumers consistently rank a reduction in pesticide applications as the most

valuable benefit of plant biotechnology — which is important since farmers have
significantly reduced pesticide sprayings, while conserving the water and fuel
otherwise depleted with tillage or plowing.

Since 1996, the use of GM soybeans has been one of the largest contributors to
reduced pesticide applications, accounting for cumulative reductions of 41,000
metric tons.

YieldGard corn rootworm is expected to eliminate one million plastic containers,

68,845 gallons of aviation fuel, 5 million gallons of water used in insecticide
formulations, 5 million pounds of insecticide active ingredient, and 5 million gallons
of diesel fuel per year.

GM crops benefit the environment and conserve natural habitat for

wildlife.

One of the advantages of gentecially modified foods and crops is the reduced
need for tillage or plowing, allowing farmers to adopt conservation or “no-till”
practices. In the United States alone, these practices and other conservation
measures are reducing soil erosion by 1 billion tons and saving consumers $3.5
billion in water treatment costs annually.

Biotech crops also have played an important role in boosting the productivity of
existing farmland — enough to allow for the protection of at least 400 million
acres of prairies, forests and other natural areas from cultivation over the past
decade. These areas provide food and shelter for wildlife and preserve
biodiversity.

Farmers growing biotech crops increased their income by US$34 billion.

Farmers have increased income through higher yields and lower production
costs — including fewer pesticide applications and the more efficient use of
farm labor. Research indicates an increase in income is consistent worldwide
with significant economic benefits realized by small- and large-scale farmers
alike.

A century of discoveries and scientific research make plant biotechnology

possible.

People have always strived to grow better, more plentiful foods. As early as
5000 BC, farmers began saving their best and sweetest corn to use as seed the
next year. But it wasn’t until 1865 that Mendel concluded “unseen particles”
pass these traits from generation to generation.

Researchers then began to understand DNA and determined that the cells of all
living things are composed of the same basic components. In 1953, Watson
and Crick defined the structure of DNA, allowing us to understand how cells
store, duplicate and pass genetic information. By 1973, Cohen and Boyer had
isolated and moved a gene — a specific piece of DNA — from one organism to
another.

Each of these discoveries paved the way for great improvements in plant
breeding. In 1982, researchers genetically modified a plant cell for the first time
— making precise, controlled improvements in plant breeding possible. Farmers
planted the first large-scale commercial biotech crop in the United States in
1996.

Today, after a decade of use on more than 1 billion acres worldwide, crops
developed through biotechnology have delivered significant benefits and a
proven record of safe use. The next decade with plant biotechnology holds even
more promise.