The Presence of Genetic Modification in USDA Organic Certified Corn and Soy Food Products

A federal law mandated the protocol for food to be USDA Organic in 1990. Organically certified foods command higher prices than conventionally produced food.  The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is an excluded method in certified organic production systems.  We purchased food labeled as USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project verified, or both, containing the most common GM crops, corn and soybeans from online sources as well as brick-and-mortar grocers in Kentucky and Tennessee. It is widely accepted that the presence of a viral 35S CaMV promoter and a bacterial NOS terminator sequence in a crop genome is evidence of genetic modification. DNA was extracted from whole and processed foods and garden seed. These sequences were detected by PCR reactions and visualized by gel electrophoresis, alongside positive and negative standards.  Our results indicate the presence of genetic modification in some of these foods.