📊 New GMOs Market Report

Special Edition Newsletter

Dear Reader,

If there’s one thing the business world dislikes, it’s uncertainty — and right now, when it comes to New GMOs (or New Genomic Techniques like CRISPR), that’s exactly what we’re facing.

There’s a lot of noise, especially in the EU, where lawmakers are deep in negotiations over a proposal that would effectively deregulate these genetically modified plants. But what do we really know about what’s out there? Which New GMOs have actually made it to market? Which are in development? And where are they being grown?

Until now, that information has been scattered, opaque, and hard to verify.

That’s why — together with the Non-GMO Project (the leading Non-GMO labelling organisation in the U.S.) and semnar — we’ve produced a new market report specifically for the food and feed industry. It sheds light on the global landscape of New GMOs: which crops are in cultivation, which are in development and which were withdrawn from the market. This will be the first in a series of annual reports.

The findings may surprise you.

Despite the hype — and the political pressure — New GMOs are barely present on the market. Globally, only three New GMO crops are commercially grown. Of the 49 others “in development,” many have been approved in the U.S., but aren’t being grown.

Even more striking: not a single one of the New GMOs currently on the market delivers on its promised sustainability benefits — a key argument often used to justify deregulation.

So what does this mean for you, as part of the food industry?

First, keep calm. Even if the EU proceeds with deregulation, these crops are not about to flood the market. In fact, in countries where they’re already deregulated, New GMOs have failed to gain commercial traction.

We strongly recommend:
•    Clearly excluding New GMOs in your supplier requirements. 
•    Choosing certification systems that also exclude New GMOs.  

👉 Read the full report here and feel free to share it with your networks. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Kind regards,

Heike Moldenhauer

Secretary General