The following terms are some commonly used phrases and words used throughout the site. Understanding these terms will help provide a better understanding of the topic.
Bioengineered Food: National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard defines bioengineered foods as those that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.
Conventional Crops: refer to all varieties that do not use bioengineering technology such as genetic modification or genetic editing.
Genetic Modification (Transgenic): introducing new DNA or modified genes from any plant or non-plant organism.
Genetic Editing (Cisgenic): making changes to specific genes in the plant. No DNA from other organisms is introduced.
Common Acronyms
GMO: Genetically Modified Organism
BE: BioEngineered
USDA: United States Department of Agriculture
NOS: National Organic Standards, set by the USDA
APHIS: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, subset of the USDA
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
FDA: Food and Drug Administration