Corn kernel character teaching about GMOs

A new character named Jake is teaching Americans how seeds for genetically modified organisms are created.

Jake, a GMO corn kernel, stars in The Life of a Seed, an animated video created for gmoanswers.com, a website dedicated to answering consumers’ questions about how food is grown. Its goal is to make information about GMOs in food and agriculture easier to access and understand.

“Many people not familiar with agriculture have questions about how their food is produced. This video answers their questions about GMOs in food,” said Lindsay Reames, assistant director of governmental relations for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

The video, which is available at youtube.com/watch?v=L9tlirsBNg4, offers an easy-to-understand explanation about what GMOs are and how they’re made and used in agriculture.

Jake explains the history of plant breeding and how genetically engineered seeds are just an advancement in plant breeding technology. The character tells viewers that scientists used traditional plant breeding and built on it to create conventional, organic and genetically modified seeds.

The gmoanswers.com site is funded by member organizations of The Council for Biotechnology and is supported by a wide variety of groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Council on Science and Health and the American Seed Trade Association. GMO Answers’ five principles are respecting people’s right to choose healthy food products; welcoming questions on GMO topics; making GMO information, research and data easy to access; supporting farmers as they work to grow crops using resources more efficiently; and respecting farmers’ rights to choose the seeds that are best for their farms.