Three countries grow genetically modified wheat. Those three countries are Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
It’s a small amount. It adds up to about 1% of the total amount of wheat they grow annually. And those three countries either use it themselves or sell it to each other.
For the rest of the world, genetically modified wheat is not commercially grown or sold.
Wheat is grown using a cross-breeding method called hybridization.
Hybridization is when you take two or more organisms (different breeds but same species) and graft them together to produce a new breed with new characteristics.
Basically, you cut one plant, shove it into a another one, tie it together, then let it grow.
A couple of examples that you may be familiar with:
Pluot (plum + apricot) and Broccolini (broccoli + Chinese kale).
Pluot & Broccolini
This also occurs naturally in the wild. Wind, bees, birds, etc. can pick up the pollen and transfer it to different plants.
In which case, you get things like this:
Common bread wheat is a variety that began somewhere around 8 to 10 thousand years ago.
It’s a natural hybrid of Emmer wheat and Goatgrass.
Before Bread wheat, people grew Emmer wheat for food. They didn’t grow Goatgrass. Goatgrass was just a weedy wild grass that grew nearby.
Then, you know, one day, someone let the dog out…and we got a new variety of wheat.
Wolford the Magnificent
This new variety of wheat had a lot more value. Easier to remove from its shell, didn’t fall apart, made better bread, etc. When they saw the value of the new wheat, they started growing that instead.
Emmer + Goatgrass = Bread Wheat
Alright, so, new varieties of wheat are created by breeding one type of wheat with another. Either intentionally by man, Mother Nature, or dogs on joyrides.
If the farmer likes the result, he’ll plant and grow that variety. This process happens over and over again. It’s always being tweaked and improved.
That’s how farming works: you try to grow the best plant you can and then grow as much of it as possible.
Just like there are thousands of varieties of apples, there are thousands of varieties of wheat.
Some types of wheat are really great for bread. Some types are great for crackers or tortillas or cakes. Some types have different flavors.
And the varieties are not just for the kinds of food you can make.
Some are only grown in certain locations because they can survive in that type of climate. Some are grown because of the shorter size (too tall and they fall over and rot).
Many different varieties are grown to supply the needs of the people around the world.
Three things for you to know before we wrap up:
1.) The terms: GMO (genetically modified organism), genetically engineered, and bioengineered all mean the same thing.
Wheat, outside of the three countries mentioned earlier, won’t have those labels because there is no commercial GMO wheat.
2.) You can have a wheat product that contains other ingredients which are GMO foods.
Here’s an example: Honey Maid Graham Crackers (Graham is a coarsely ground wheat.)
Contains a bioengineered food ingredient.
This label isn’t referring to the wheat in the product. It’s referring to the soy in the product. Soy is a GMO.
3.) If you want to avoid GMO ingredients, look for one of these two seals on the packaging of products you buy:
Non-GMO Project is an independent organization that verifies GMO avoidance only.
The mark does not mean the product is organic.
Non-organic products can carry this mark.
Butterfly Logo
USDA Organic - The United States Department of Agriculture
By definition, USDA Organic products cannot be produced with GMOs.
If you want both organic and non-GMO, this is the one seal that covers both.
Circular seal. Usually green and white with a brown rim. Also appears in black and white.
Any other “non-GMO” or “GMO-free” wording is the company’s own claim. It may or may not be true.
Okay, that’s it.
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