Genetically Engineered Crops: The Evidence and the Unknowns

More than 20 years after they were first grown on U.S. farms, genetically engineered (GE) crops remain a hotly debated science policy topic. Many claims are made about the benefits or adverse effects of current and future GE crops on human health, the environment, and social equity, and these claims influence current discussion on food product labeling and the commercial release of crops developed with Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR). In 2014, a committee was formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the evidence related to those claims. The committee investigated the available evidence on a wide array of purported effects, including on crop yield, health, biodiversity, and farm income. In this session, committee representatives shared conclusions about those claims as well as prospects for future GE crops, detailed in the 2016 report “Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects.” The speakers will also discuss the committee’s approach to engaging stakeholders in its review of the evidence.