On the first Tuesday morning of the fall semester, I stumbled upon the weekly farmers’ market hosted at the entrance of Sciences Po. Ever since leaving the United States, I had been longing for one thing: perfectly ripe strawberries—and this market was an excellent opportunity to fulfill my craving. The only problem was that I had class for the next eight hours straight. After purchasing my basket of ruby-red strawberries, I stuffed them in my purse and forgot about them. That was until my afternoon lecture when a foul, rotting smell began to emanate from my bag. At that moment, I realized that French strawberries are not quite the same as American ones. However, despite the stench, I was convinced that I would still have some fresh strawberries to enjoy at the end of the day. After all, the strawberries I was used to back home could last for a week on the countertop. But as the day went on, my hopes fell. To my dismay, when I opened the strawberries at home, they were entirely rotted and inedible.
Upon further research, I discovered that the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which improve the shelf life of produce and increase crop yield in agriculture, is heavily contested in France. Starting in the 1990s, crises such as “mad cow” disease (BSE) created deep public mistrust of technological crop advancements, as they became associated with the public perception of “modern” agriculture and “unnatural” practices. Environmental groups like Greenpeace have also strongly opposed GMOs, arguing they threaten biodiversity and small-scale farming. While France’s skepticism emphasizes a more traditional approach to agriculture, I can’t help but wonder whether this aversion toward GMOs limits the potential for food innovation, reducing waste, and sustainability.
France’s complicated relationship with GMOs spans beyond its borders, as all European Union member states must comply with its agricultural regulations. In the EU, approximately 100 GMOs have been approved for import and use in food and animal feed. These include genetically modified varieties of corn, soybeans, rapeseed (a form of canola oil), cotton, and sugar beet. However, these approvals strictly prohibit the cultivation of these crops within the region. EU regulations also mandate clear labeling for products containing GMOs.
The EU’s stringent guidelines and complex regulations ultimately account for a more natural selection of produce in farmers’ markets and grocery stores. So, if you ever wondered why you could never find any pristine fruits or vegetables at Carrefour, it’s because they are grown with purity, not preservatives. This emphasis on traditional farming raises some questions about its practicality in a world grappling with rising poverty and famine rates. The prioritization of GMO-free agriculture as global food insecurity grows may become increasingly difficult to justify, especially when innovations like GMOs could play a critical role in addressing these urgent challenges.
The United States, however, is an entirely different story. Over 95% of US livestock raised for meat and dairy are fed GMO crops. Additionally, potatoes, summer squash, apples, papayas, and pineapples are all genetically modified and mass-produced for the consumer. Unlike France, the US commonly grows genetically modified soybeans, corn, sugar beets, canola, and cotton, which are used to make ingredients that Americans eat, such as cornstarch, corn syrup, corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, and granulated sugar. This wide implementation of GMOs in the US is mainly used to combat pests and reduce pesticides.
Nevertheless, animals themselves, such as pigs, salmon, cows, and chickens, have been approved to be genetically modified to enhance growth or to be more resistant to zoonotic diseases.
The EU is clearly raising an eyebrow at the US’s GMO-heavy approach. In 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that gene editing must comply with the 2001 GMO Directive, which imposes strict regulations on genetically modifying livestock. While the US continues to genetically modify animals and crops to maximize productivity, the EU’s strict GMO policies reflect its skepticism of such practices, keeping its food system closely tied to traditional farming.
These extensive differences between French and American GMO usage left me wondering: what do we truly value in our food? From my personal experience, I’ve seen that the US often emphasizes convenience and durability, with GMOs being a way to produce long-lasting, uniform fruits and vegetables that can withstand time and transportation. Due to the immense size of the US, it can take an estimated 1,500 miles of transportation for produce to get from farm to plate.
However, in France, the focus appears to be on purity and tradition, even if it means that your strawberries barely make it home. While one system focuses on convenience —the US isn’t the birthplace of the convenience store for nothing!—the other embraces the imperfections of nature and traditional farming, which, from my time living in France, corresponds with a more wholesome way of life. While tradition may anchor society in a growingly complex world, when it involves the precious resource of food, it ultimately reinforces my belief that there should be a balance between innovation and natural farming. GMOs should not be criticized outright as they hold the power to address pressing global challenges. Rather, their implementation should be guided by ethical considerations, scientific research, and sustainability.
As the infamous Malthusian Theory posits, the supply of food will not be able to keep up with the growth of the human population, inevitably resulting in disease, famine, and war. GMOs, something that the 18th-century British economist Thomas Malthus could not envision, could be the solution to this looming threat if used responsibly and equitably to address food insecurity.
My unfortunate experience with my farmers’ market strawberries was more than just a fluke; it was a symbol of the complex debate surrounding GMOs, sustainability, and what we expect from the food we eat.
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