News

Sugarbeet industry increases GMO education

The Michigan Sugar Company says it’s educating buyers about the benefits of biotechnology.

Director of Community and Government Relations Ray VanDriessche tells Brownfield because of misinformation about GMOs and new labeling legislation, the sugarbeet industry has lost some of its market share to cane sugar.  “The sugarbeet itself, although it comes from a GMO crop, the sugar itself is not a GMO sugar because the only place you can find the DNA of a biotechnology GMO crop is in protein and there’s no protein in sugar.”  He says the industry is increasing education efforts on GMO sugarbeets and slowly starting to gain market share back. Farmers have be using GMO sugarbeets since 2007 as a way to reduce pesticide use and soil compaction.

USDA’s October Sugar Outlook reports a shift of three percent more cane sugar deliveries for the year and beet sugar deliveries dropping slightly less than three percent.

AUDIO: Interview with Ray VanDriessche