There is no such thing as GMO sugar. Whether or not sugar is refined from genetically modified sugar beets, conventional sugar beets or organic sugar cane the result is a disaccharide called sucrose; what we know simply as table sugar. This is because the refining process removes impurities such as color, fibers, odors, proteins and DNA. This has been tested and proven in independent laboratories across the United States and Canada on both test scale and commercial scale products. All sugar is GMO free. Kevin Folta, Chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, nicely illustrates how all sugar is the same, regardless of source.[1]
In 2000 Monsanto and KWS Saat began development of a genetically engineered sugar beet using biotechnology. Commercialized in 2007, this product became part of the Round-Up-Ready® series of genetically engineered seeds to help farmers become more efficient. These seeds are resistant to a popular herbicide called glyphosate. Farmers can spray glyphosate on the field crops to control weeds without having to worry about destroying their crops. This herbicide also has the added benefit of being of low toxicity to humans and other animals. We won’t go into all the specifics in this blog, but it is found that rats and mice don’t start experiencing symptoms of toxicity until between 5000 – 10,000 mg/kg of exposure. The Maximum Residue Limit for glyphosate in food for human consumption is 15mg/ kg, which is well below the risk line for toxicity.[2]
So, why were Sugar Beets genetically modified? What is the advantage? One of the main pain points in any horticultural operation is weed control. Weeds reduce farm and forest productivity, they invade crops, smother pastures and in some cases can harm livestock. They aggressively compete for water, nutrients and sunlight, resulting in reduced crop yield and poor crop quality. Having a sugar beet crop resistant to herbicides helps make weed control much easier and economical to the farmer. Before the advent of safe herbicides for weed control on crops, weeds had to be controlled manually. This is a major factor contributing to labor costs for the United States Farmer. According to the Migrant Clinicians Network up to 2.7 million migrant workers are hired on to US farms every year. Having the ability to hire less workers saves the farmer time and money. The chart below lays out some of the differences in costs/ profit per acre of an average sugar beet farm.
Sugar Beet Budget
Conventional costs per acre Round-Up-Ready® costs per acre
Fuel $31.80 Fuel $10.00
Labor $10.00 Labor $5.00
Beet labor $40.00 Beet labor $0.00
Equipment maintenance $2.00 Equipment maintenance $1.00
Tractor maintenance $3.00 Tractor maintenance $1.50
Chemicals $35.00 Chemicals $40.00
Fertilizer $60.00 Fertilizer $30.00
Telon $40.00 Telon $20.00
New equipment $0.00 New equipment $10.00
Total costs $221.80 Total costs 117.5
Average income per acre $1,200 Average income per acre $1,200[3]
As of 2016 over 95% of the sugar beet crops grown in the United State are genetically modified. The rapid adoption of the GMO seeds shows that farmers, and consumers, have seen the benefits of being able to tackle the weed problem with biotechnology; reducing costs to the farmer and producing a better quality, and lower cost, product for the consumer.
[1] Myth Busting: There is no Such Thing as GMO Sugar. R. Larsen. Genetic Literacy Project. 2015
[2] Pesticide Residues in Food and Feed. FAO.org
[3] Growing Round-Up-Ready Sugar Beets vs. Conventional Sugar Beets. https://www.uwyo.edu/agecon