12 GMO Foods that May One Day Hit Your Thanksgiving Dinnertable

It’s Thanksgiving season again, and while we have much to be thankful for, there are still many people throughout the world going without food or who are malnourished. Foods are now being genetically modified not just to be more resistant to pests or pesticides but also to increase nutritional value. GEN has compiled a list of foods that are available now or may soon be available for your Thanksgiving table.

• Milk lacking β-lactoglobulin, the whey protein believed to be the primary cause of milk allergy in people
• Carrots modified to increase bioavailable calcium
• Golden Rice that biosynthesizes beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A
• Tomatoes that reduce atherosclerotic plaques
• Arctic Apples that are resistant to the unappetizing browning that occurs when an apple is cut or bruised
• “Rainbow” papayas that are genetically modified to withstand the deadly ringspot virus
• Soybeans that produce oil enriched in stearic acid, a saturated fatty acid that scientists believe does not raise serum cholesterol levels
• Barley with immunity to a virus, resistance to fungal root rot, and improved brewing properties
• Cassava engineered with a synthetic gene to increase the protein content
• Potatoes modified for increased protein content
• Transgenic corn with increased levels of vitamin E
• Beans engineered with high levels of iron