NonGMO Project GMO food verification logo orange

GMO Facts

What is a GMO?

Under the Non-GMO Project Standard, a genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism to which biotechnology has been applied. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.

Are GMOs safe?

In the absence of credible, independent, long-term feeding studies, the safety of GMOs is unknown. 

Are GMOs labeled?

Sixty-five countries around the world, including Australia, Japan and all of the countries in the European Union, require genetically modified foods to be labeled. Canada does not require any GMO labeling.

Under the USDA's National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), some – but not all – products containing GMOs must be labeled in the United States. In its current form, categorical exemptions prevent this law from delivering the transparency Americans deserve.

Which foods might contain GMOs?

Most packaged and processed foods contain ingredients derived from corn, soy, canola and sugar beet — and the vast majority of those crops grown in North America are genetically modified.

The Non-GMO Project also considers livestock, apiculture, and aquaculture products at high risk because genetically engineered ingredients are common in animal feed. This impacts animal-derived products such as eggs, milk, meat, honey, and seafood.

GMOs also sneak into food in the form of processed crop derivatives and inputs derived from other forms of genetic engineering, such as synthetic biology. Some examples include hydrolyzed vegetable protein, corn syrup, molasses, sucrose, textured vegetable protein, flavorings, vitamins, yeast products, flavors, proteins, sweeteners, microbes, enzymes, oils and fats.

How do GMOs affect farmers?

Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents to control the use and distribution of their genetically engineered seeds. Restrictive license agreements erode farmers' right to save seed. Relying on third-party corporations to provide farmers with both GMO seed and chemical inputs such as herbicide makes those farmers beholden to Big Ag, posing a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown.

What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment?

The most common genetically modified crops grown worldwide have been engineered for herbicide tolerance.7 In the first 20 years of the GMO experiment, the use of toxic herbicides, such as Roundup (glyphosate), increased fifteenfold.8 The use of these herbicides has led to a decline in native plants, which has downstream effects on biodiversity. Additionally, the overuse of herbicides has led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant “superweeds” and “superbugs,” which can only be killed by spraying more toxic chemicals. 

Most GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture and are developed and sold by the world’s largest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of these GMOs are unknown. Once released into the environment, these novel organisms cannot be recalled.

What is a GMO?

Under the Non-GMO Project Standard, a genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism to which biotechnology has been applied. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.

Are GMOs safe?

In the absence of credible, independent, long-term feeding studies, the safety of GMOs is unknown. 

Are GMOs labeled?

Sixty-five countries around the world, including Australia, Japan and all of the countries in the European Union, require genetically modified foods to be labeled. Canada does not require any GMO labeling.

Under the USDA's National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), some – but not all – products containing GMOs must be labeled in the United States. In its current form, categorical exemptions prevent this law from delivering the transparency Americans deserve.

Which foods might contain GMOs?

Most packaged and processed foods contain ingredients derived from corn, soy, canola and sugar beet — and the vast majority of those crops grown in North America are genetically modified.

The Non-GMO Project also considers livestock, apiculture, and aquaculture products at high risk because genetically engineered ingredients are common in animal feed. This impacts animal-derived products such as eggs, milk, meat, honey, and seafood.

GMOs also sneak into food in the form of processed crop derivatives and inputs derived from other forms of genetic engineering, such as synthetic biology. Some examples include hydrolyzed vegetable protein, corn syrup, molasses, sucrose, textured vegetable protein, flavorings, vitamins, yeast products, flavors, proteins, sweeteners, microbes, enzymes, oils and fats.

How do GMOs affect farmers?

Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents to control the use and distribution of their genetically engineered seeds. Restrictive license agreements erode farmers' right to save seed. Relying on third-party corporations to provide farmers with both GMO seed and chemical inputs such as herbicide makes those farmers beholden to Big Ag, posing a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown.

What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment?

The most common genetically modified crops grown worldwide have been engineered for herbicide tolerance.7 In the first 20 years of the GMO experiment, the use of toxic herbicides, such as Roundup (glyphosate), increased fifteenfold.8 The use of these herbicides has led to a decline in native plants, which has downstream effects on biodiversity. Additionally, the overuse of herbicides has led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant “superweeds” and “superbugs,” which can only be killed by spraying more toxic chemicals. 

Most GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture and are developed and sold by the world’s largest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of these GMOs are unknown. Once released into the environment, these novel organisms cannot be recalled.

Corn crop field
The GMO High-Risk List: Corn
Two golden apples lie on a white plate. One of the apples is whole, the other is cut in half. The inside of the cut apples appears white, juicy and crisp. Seeds from the sliced apple are visible.
The GMO High-Risk List: Apples
Small kids on a table eating school lunch
This School Year, Go Non-GMO for Lunch
gmo potatoes
The GMO High-Risk List: Potatoes
Papaya cut open in two halves
The GMO High-Risk List: Papaya
Two men and one woman in an office room having a discussion
How Surveillance Keeps the Butterfly Flying High
colorful dried corn bunch for harvest decoration
Mexico Moves to Protect Its Cultural Heritage from GMO Corn
Non-GMO Project Verified Non-GMO Canola
The GMO High-Risk List: Canola
Cotton plant
The GMO High-Risk List: Cotton
Sugar beets field
The GMO High-Risk List: Sugar Beets
Looking down on an orange table top, into a bowl of flaked corn cereal, a small pitcher of cold white milk and a bowl of delicious honey. There decorations of honeycomb shapes overlaid in white on the upper left and lower right corners of the image.
To Eat Like a Champion, Choose a Non-GMO Breakfast
Growing Soybean field
A Soy Story: Meet Plant-Based Cuisine's Star Ingredient
A pair of juicy, plant-based burgers ready-to-eat on a white plate, topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado and tzaziki. There's a glass of water flavored with citrus slices beside the burgers.
Want a Plant-Based Burger That's Good for the Planet? Go Non-GMO.
GMO zucchini
The GMO High-Risk List: Summer Squash
How a Dairy Cow Bill of Rights Shapes Soil in New Zealand
Heritage cows
Back to the Origin of Heritage Milking Breeds
Brown, black, black and white cows by the bay at Straus Dairy Farm
Straus Family Creamery — Small Dairy Rises to the Top
soybean crop
The GMO High-Risk List: Soybeans
Soybean ripening next to corn maize field at spring season, agricultural landscape
GMO Crops in Plant-Based Foods? No, Thanks!
Multicolor maize,corn varieties
GMOs and Heritage Corn: Protecting the Source of Life
In the spring farm field young alfalfa grows
Field of Schemes: How GMO Alfalfa Messed Up a Perfectly Good Thing
Apple tree
GMO Apples: An apple a day may not brown right away
Potatoes in hands still dirty from being harvested
No Joy in Spudville
Monach Butterfly sitting on index finger
Press Release: From Grassroots to Global: Non-GMO Project's October Initiative Highlights 17 Years of Progress
Heray Spice Product Photography
Press Release: Heray Spice Uplifts Food Integrity Commitment with the Non-GMO Project
A Monarch Butterfly flies about the brightly colored flowers in my garden.
Press Release: Levelle Nutrition Is Recipient of Non-GMO Project’s Equity Transfer
Tina’s Vodka Is Now Non-GMO Project Verified!
A man with a sustainable fabric bag brimming with veggies navigates the farmers market.
Sow, Grow, Nourish: White Paper Connects Regenerative Agriculture With Nutrient Density
Multiple hands waving the European Union flags
Deregulation Compromises Food Transparency
young African American woman in a grocery store sliding open the freezer door
Who Is the Natural Shopper in 2024?
Monarch Butterfly Non-GMO Project
Lowy’s Traditional Aleppo Soap Is Now Non-GMO Project Verified!
petri dish
A New GMO Glossary of Terms
fresh produce on counter top
Press Release: "Think Big, Shop Little Labels" Campaign Launches in January 2024, Empowering Shoppers to Choose Sustainable Products
six hands holding sparklers
2023: The Year in Review
Press Release: La Morenita Named Recipient of the Non-GMO Project's Equitable Transfer Program
The European flag waving on a flagpole against a cloudy sky
The EU Should Not Follow the US’s Bad Example in Deregulating GMOs
Vegan burgers with quinoa, broccoli in plates with salad. Vegan healthy lunch or dinner. Table setting.
Press Release: “I’ll Have a Plant-Based Burger. Hold the GMOs.”
cell-cultivated meat under microscopic lens in a lab
Is Lab-Grown Meat the Solution We've Been Looking For?
Tiffin Asha chutney on a hamburger
How a Small Condiment Business is Cooking with Heart and Rocking the Butterfly
Monarch Butterfly
REAL Is Now Non-GMO Project Verified!
Pouring milk splash isolated on white background macro
Press Release: In the Brave New World of Synthetic Milk, Shoppers Reach for Non-GMO, Regenerative Dairy Options
tiffin asha logo
Press Release: The Non-GMO Project Announces Equitable Transfer Program Recipient
A farmer holding heritage red corn in his left hand
Press Release: U.S. and International Companies Support Mexico
Monarch Butterfly Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project Standard — Announcements
A man grabbing soil from the ground in his hands
Save Our Soil! 6 Reasons To Support a Better Farm Bill
Industrial farming machinery in a corn field with mountains in the backdrop
Stand With Mexico for Food Sovereignty & Their Right to Restrict GMO Corn
The Case for Debt Relief for Black Farmers
The Case for Debt Relief for Black Farmers
Happy woman doing routine skin care at home with beauty products. Woman sitting on bed at home and applying face cream.
Press Release: Time To Come Clean About Hidden GMOs in Personal Care Products
Man shopping in a supermarket.
Press Release: Study Shows 69% of US Consumers Demand Verification of Retailer & Brand Claims About Sustainability 
An image of capitol hill building
Executive Order is a Massive Push Toward Further Privatization of U.S. Food Supply
Young african american woman drinking green juice
Press Release: More Than Half of All Plant-Based Foods Are Non-GMO Project Verified – and Growing
Panorama of grazing cows in a meadow with grass covered with dew
Press Release: Non-GMO Project Stands with Straus Family Creamery, Other Dairy Farmers, as Synbio Milk Accelerates
Seeds planted in brown soil
Non-GMO Project Statement to Canada's Minister of Agriculture on Deregulation of Gene-Edited Seeds
A Monarch Butterfly flies about the brightly colored flowers in my garden.
Food waste fighting powerhouse LOOP Mission is now Non-GMO Project Verified
Monarch Butterfly
URBL is now Non-GMO Project Verified!
New GMOs
Introducing 'New GMO Alerts' Monthly Newsletter
Monarch butterfly on flower
Our Vision for the Future: A Response to the USDA
fish swimming upstream
Genetically engineered fish and meat coming to your table... soon?
Pigs
Join the Non-GMO Project in Commenting on USDA’s Proposed Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals
Manukora Honey: Good News from New Zealand's Bees, and the People who Tend to Them
Monarch Butterfly
Outside The Breadbox Vegan Oat Products Earn Non-GMO Project Verification
Woman of color pouring orange juice from a carafe to a child on the breakfast table
New GMOs Created by Synbio Threaten Food Supply
Monarch Butterfly
The New Non-GMO Project Standard Is Out! Join Us for a Look Behind the Butterfly
Non-GMO Project and Fair Trade are partnering
Hundreds of Retailers Support Fairtrade and Non-GMO Month this October
Non-GMO Project grocery tote
NON-GMO PROJECT STATEMENT ON USDA APHIS’s DECISION TO DEREGULATE GMOs
Notes on a Crisis
colorful butterfly is landing on a woman's hand
Supporting Non-GMO Project Clients in Unprecedented Times
Megan Westgate, Executive Director, Non-GMO Project with her two young kids outdoors
Working Together Through the COVID-19 Crisis — a letter from our Executive Director
A cute brown puppy with a red collar eats food from its overflowing bowl
Welcome to the Pandemic. I’m Here to Walk Your Dog.
Corn crop field
The GMO High-Risk List: Corn
Two golden apples lie on a white plate. One of the apples is whole, the other is cut in half. The inside of the cut apples appears white, juicy and crisp. Seeds from the sliced apple are visible.
The GMO High-Risk List: Apples
Non-GMO Project Mark and USDA Organic seal placed side by side on the bottom of a dried fruit product packaging
What's the Difference Between Non-GMO and Organic?
New GMO Alert: Navigating GMOs in the Produce Section
Everything You Need To Know about GMOs in Plant-Based Foods
Closeup of vegetable produce aisle
Pocket Guide to GMOs in Produce
Small kids on a table eating school lunch
This School Year, Go Non-GMO for Lunch
Cheesemaker, showing freshly made mozzarella.
New GMO Alert: Could Your Next Pizza Feature Synbio Mozzarella?
New GMOs in Virtually Every Grocery Aisle
gmo potatoes
The GMO High-Risk List: Potatoes
Papaya cut open in two halves
The GMO High-Risk List: Papaya
Female shopper reading the label of a food product in a grocery store
What's the Difference Between Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified?
Wheat crop field
New GMO Alert: How Long Before Amber Waves of (GMO) Grain Flood the Market?
DNA double helix structure made of green leaves on a soft green background. Bioinformatics and green technology concept, eco-scientific design, environmental awareness
New GMO Alert: Molecular Farming Is Growing!
Group of four friends cooking together in the kitchen
What Do You Need to Know About GMOs?
Purple tomatoes vine
New GMO Alert: Is the GM Purple Tomato Here To Stay or Just the Sexy New Thing?
Farm fence
New GMO Alert: CRISPR is Changing the Face of Old McDonald’s Farm
Two men and one woman in an office room having a discussion
How Surveillance Keeps the Butterfly Flying High
Feeding a treat to dog
Pet Spotlight: Why Your Best Friend Deserves Non-GMO
farmer hand holding opened raw fresh cacao pod with white seeds
New GMO Alert: Synbio Chocolate (Or, Can Your Love Be Pure if Your Chocolate Is GMO?)
La Morenita Foods corn tortilla chips
Embracing Tradition, Crafting Flavor: Morenita’s Non-GMO Journey and Chilaquiles Recipe
Multiple hands waving the European Union flags
Deregulation Compromises Food Transparency
tiny mustard seeds in the farmer's hand
New GMO Alert: Crispr Crops Are Unregulated and Under the Radar
Non-GMO Project Verified Non-GMO Canola
The GMO High-Risk List: Canola
petri dish
A New GMO Glossary of Terms
six hands holding sparklers
2023: The Year in Review
Pouring milk splash isolated on white background macro
New GMO Alert: Synbio Dairy Is Still Bullish Despite Major Obstacles
Cotton plant
The GMO High-Risk List: Cotton
Close up of beautiful Afro American lady applying powder on face with cosmetic brush and smiling
New GMO Alert: Synbio Is Beauty’s Ugly Little Secret
Sugar beets field
The GMO High-Risk List: Sugar Beets
What Is Animal-Free Dairy?
Non-GMO soybeans
New GMO Alert: When Is a Soybean Really a Pig?
Monarch butterfly
5 Ways the Non-GMO Project Protects Your Right to Choose
The European flag waving on a flagpole against a cloudy sky
The EU Should Not Follow the US’s Bad Example in Deregulating GMOs
Looking down on an orange table top, into a bowl of flaked corn cereal, a small pitcher of cold white milk and a bowl of delicious honey. There decorations of honeycomb shapes overlaid in white on the upper left and lower right corners of the image.
To Eat Like a Champion, Choose a Non-GMO Breakfast
Growing Soybean field
A Soy Story: Meet Plant-Based Cuisine's Star Ingredient
Glass of beer on malt grains
New GMO Alert: It's Just Like Beer. No, Wait, It IS Beer!
plant-based fishsticks on a wodden bamboo plate with herbs sprinkled on top and lemon wedges on the side
Plant-Based Offers Fresh Ways To Love Seafood
A pair of juicy, plant-based burgers ready-to-eat on a white plate, topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado and tzaziki. There's a glass of water flavored with citrus slices beside the burgers.
Want a Plant-Based Burger That's Good for the Planet? Go Non-GMO.
cell-cultivated meat under microscopic lens in a lab
Is Lab-Grown Meat the Solution We've Been Looking For?
Medium close up of oil palm fruits on trees
New GMO Alert: The Slippery Slope of Synbio Palm Oil
GMO zucchini
The GMO High-Risk List: Summer Squash
Honey bee sitting on a purple flower
Happy Honey Bee Day! Dance Like Bees Are Watching
Do We Need GMOs to Feed the World
Do We Need GMOs to Feed the World?
happy free range chicken in the meadow
New GMO Alert: The Downside of Upside Foods
Curly hair woman of color eating ice cream from a spoon while holding ice cream cone
Try Our Favorite Plant-Based Ice Creams
How a Dairy Cow Bill of Rights Shapes Soil in New Zealand
Heritage cows
Back to the Origin of Heritage Milking Breeds
Brown, black, black and white cows by the bay at Straus Dairy Farm
Straus Family Creamery — Small Dairy Rises to the Top
Whey protein powder on a wooden spoon
New GMO Alert: Animal-Free Dairy Is Shutting Doors, Seeking Buyers and Selling to Consumers
Red and White dairy cattle
Dairy Month Is Better With the Butterfly
soybean crop
The GMO High-Risk List: Soybeans
Mustard greens are one of the popular leaf vegetables harvested mustard greens in garden.
New GMO Alert: Conscious Foods Makes CRISPR Produce for Unaware Consumers
The Science on GMOs Isn't Settled — Here's Why
Hands planting seeds on the ground in dark brown soil
Are Hybrid Seeds the Same as GMOs?
New GMO Alert: Turning Fruit Flies Into GMO Bioreactors
White potatoes laying on the ground pulled out from the soil
"Wild Relatives" Hold More Solutions Than GMOs
A man bends over his home garden
Celebrate Earth Month With a Healthy Non-GMO Garden
Female scientist facing their back is holding a tech device doing testing in a corn field
New GMO Alert: Gene-Edited Microbes Introduce a New Twist in GMO Agriculture
The Old Story Behind New GMOs
Pastel pink eyeshadow and brush
New GMO Alert: The Seduction of Beauty and What’s Really in That Jar
Salmon mouth open above the water
3 Crucial Reasons to Block GMO Salmon
ground coffee and honey top view
New GMO Alert: Bee-Less Honey and Bean-Less Coffee? A Translation Guide
2022: The Year in Review
2022: The Year in Review
Freshly harvested carrots and onions lying on a rustic paved pathway.
"Place-ful" Eating: How to Survive Winter’s Doldrums
Different sugar on white background
New GMO Alert: Move over synbio stevia; there are new GMO sweeteners in town
Cedar posts assembled across a river as part of weir construction to catch migrating salmon.
Could These 5 Indigenous Fishing Techniques Help Revitalize Salmon?
Graphic of a tomato plant against a purple background
You Say Tomato, We Say GMO
Purple tomatoes vine
New GMO Alert: Purple tomato recently approved for U.S. import and cultivation
Testing Protects Your Right To Choose Non-GMO
Plant harvest
New GMO Alert: Molecular Farming
Looking for Plant-Based Foods? Non-GMO Options Abound!
Soybean ripening next to corn maize field at spring season, agricultural landscape
GMO Crops in Plant-Based Foods? No, Thanks!
A young woman is seated at a table enjoying a healthy smoothie. There is a tray filled with fruit and vegetables on the table in front of her. The background shows illustrations of a variety of foods and dishes.the table
Where New GMOs Show Up in Plant-Based Foods
Open field with several cows standing
New GMO Alert: Motif FoodWorks™
Two men looking at the plant harvest
What's NOT a GMO?
wheat field
New GMO Alert: Bioceres GM HB4 Wheat Gains Traction Worldwide
Mother with daughter at a grocery store
Who's Looking Out for You? We Are!
New GMO Alert: Animal-Free Dairy Products to Watch Out For
Collage of three images: a strand of DNA, a field of grain and two people in the foreground gesturing over a computer.
What's wrong with GMOs? A lot.
New GMO Alert: Betterland Foods
What is a GMO
What Is a GMO?
Crops in drought
How Useful Are GMOs on a Warming Planet?
New GMO Alert: Recombinetics Heat-Tolerant GE Cow
AquaAdvantage salmon
Who Ate All the Frankenfish? (Hint: It Might Have Been You!)
cardboard cutout of the world map
U.S. Becomes 65th Country to Label GMOs — But Whose Laws Are the Best?
A woman of color decorating a chocolate cake with strawberries with her daughter
New GMO Alert: Climate Hero Super Cake Mix
Golden Rice
Genetically Engineered Golden Rice: Real Hope or Misplaced Hype?
Hands spreading cream cheese on toast
New GMO Alert: Modern Kitchen
Know Your Labels! The Butterfly Makes Non-GMO Easy
Know Your Labels! The Butterfly Makes Non-GMO Easy
Woman at a grocery store reading a product label.
There's a New Label in Town — But the Butterfly Stays Strong
women in athletic attire holding beverage bottles
Busy as a Beverage
African man looking up standing in a corn field
Non-GMO Project Presents: The Year in Food, 2021
Asian woman wearing a denim jacket picking peaches in supermarket
Exposing GMOs: Are You Being Fooled by Imposters?
whisk, egg white, egg yolk, cracked eggs
New GMO Alert: GMO-Made Egg White Proteins
Multicolor maize,corn varieties
GMOs and Heritage Corn: Protecting the Source of Life
New GMO Alert: Plant-Based “Meat” made with GMOs
curious chicken
What Does Bill Gates Have To Do With Ethiopian Chickens?
Closeup of Vanilla flower, Reunion Island
Is Synbio Vanilla "Natural"? Heck, No!
Tractor spraying pesticides on field with sprayer
(Un)Greenwashing GMOs
New GMO Alert: Spider Silk Proteins for Skin Care Products
Monarch Butterfly
What Are Micro Ingredients and Why Are They Important?
Shoppers inside a supermarket standing in the produce aisle
What is Bioengineered Food?
New GMO Alert: Collagen from Genetically Engineered Microbes
New GMO Alert: Animal-Plant Hybrids from Moolec Science
Carey Gillam Speaker Series
The Monsanto Papers, An Excerpt: The Billion-Dollar Baby
Asian American woman holding cabbage in one hand and picking spring onions with the other hand in produce section
Your Choices Make a Difference
Graphic of Scientists analyzing DNA helix and editing genome within organisms
Unintended Outcomes and Off-Target Effects in New GMOs
New GMO Alert: Perfect Day
Close-up of DNA
New GMOs and Where to Find Them
African American female in a grocery store reading product ingredients standing behind her shopping cart.
What You Need To Know About Bioengineered (BE) Food Labeling
Atlantic salmon
GMO Salmon Launching this Spring in the U.S.
Pouring essential oil on hands
GMOs and Clean Beauty Products— Looking for the Butterfly in Cosmetics and Skincare
fish swimming upstream
Genetically engineered fish and meat coming to your table... soon?
New GMO Alert: Genetically Modified Salmon Ready for Launch
Sunset landscape with a plain wild grass field and a forest on background.
How Do GMOs Affect Biodiversity?
sprout growing from soil
The Magic — and the Monopoly — of Seeds
Pigs
Join the Non-GMO Project in Commenting on USDA’s Proposed Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals
Pink GMO Pineapple
A GMO That's Made for Social Media
Concept food industry banner. Factory worker inspecting production line tanker in of dairy factory with computer tablet.
New GMO Alert: Two New Gene-Edited Products in the Market
Woman of color pouring orange juice from a carafe to a child on the breakfast table
New GMOs Created by Synbio Threaten Food Supply
Beyond Burger Plant-Based Patty
Navigating Meat Alternatives
Non-GMO vanilla
Are Artificial Flavors GMOs?
Seeds in man's hand
Rewriting the Code of Life?
Creating Cosmo: A GMO Bull Story
What's Soil Health Got to Do With GMOs? Part 2
Farmer hand holding a fresh young plant. Symbol of new life and environmental conservation
What's Soil Health Got to Do With GMOs? Part 1
The Dairy Diaries: Why Non-GMO Is the Cream of the Crop
field with green corn on a sunny day
GMOs: One More Thing We Don't Need on Our Plate
Back to Basics
CRISPR on the Move: From Mailbox to Icebox
The CRISPR Revolution
Farmer hands planting to soil tomato seedling in the vegetable garden. On the background a watering can for irrigation. Organic farming and spring gardening concept
Looking ahead, Part 2
Welcome to the 20s. Let’s Roar.
2019: The Year in Review
What You Need to Know about the New GMOs Showing Up in Our Food Supply
Beans and lentils
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Legumes (But Didn’t Know You Wanted To Know)
Understanding Biotechnology: New GMOs
In the spring farm field young alfalfa grows
Field of Schemes: How GMO Alfalfa Messed Up a Perfectly Good Thing
Moon and bat
Halloween Horror Stories: I Know What You Did to Your DNA
Apple tree
GMO Apples: An apple a day may not brown right away
Potatoes in hands still dirty from being harvested
No Joy in Spudville
sushi roll on plate with soy sauce
Hidden GMOs in the Seafood Aisle 
Burger
The Carnivore’s Dilemma: Navigating Burgers in the Age of Meat Alternatives
Produce laid out based on rainbow colors
Organic and Non-GMO: The Gold Standard for Food
Non-GMO seedless Watermelon
That Watermelon Isn’t a GMO, But it Might Be a Mutant!
canola plants
Does Mutation Breeding Produce GMOs?
Man, hands and tablet in science laboratory for chemistry development, research and medical software for investigation. Closeup of scientist, digital analysis and test for biotechnology report online.
New GMO Alert: Biotechnology Sustainability Solutions for Whom?
Two golden apples lie on a white plate. One of the apples is whole, the other is cut in half. The inside of the cut apples appears white, juicy and crisp. Seeds from the sliced apple are visible.
The GMO High-Risk List: Apples
Non-GMO Project Mark and USDA Organic seal placed side by side on the bottom of a dried fruit product packaging
What's the Difference Between Non-GMO and Organic?
New GMO Alert: Navigating GMOs in the Produce Section
Everything You Need To Know about GMOs in Plant-Based Foods
Cheesemaker, showing freshly made mozzarella.
New GMO Alert: Could Your Next Pizza Feature Synbio Mozzarella?
New GMOs in Virtually Every Grocery Aisle
gmo potatoes
The GMO High-Risk List: Potatoes
Papaya cut open in two halves
The GMO High-Risk List: Papaya
Female shopper reading the label of a food product in a grocery store
What's the Difference Between Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified?
Wheat crop field
New GMO Alert: How Long Before Amber Waves of (GMO) Grain Flood the Market?
DNA double helix structure made of green leaves on a soft green background. Bioinformatics and green technology concept, eco-scientific design, environmental awareness
New GMO Alert: Molecular Farming Is Growing!
Group of four friends cooking together in the kitchen
What Do You Need to Know About GMOs?
Purple tomatoes vine
New GMO Alert: Is the GM Purple Tomato Here To Stay or Just the Sexy New Thing?
Farm fence
New GMO Alert: CRISPR is Changing the Face of Old McDonald’s Farm
farmer hand holding opened raw fresh cacao pod with white seeds
New GMO Alert: Synbio Chocolate (Or, Can Your Love Be Pure if Your Chocolate Is GMO?)
tiny mustard seeds in the farmer's hand
New GMO Alert: Crispr Crops Are Unregulated and Under the Radar
petri dish
A New GMO Glossary of Terms
six hands holding sparklers
2023: The Year in Review
Pouring milk splash isolated on white background macro
New GMO Alert: Synbio Dairy Is Still Bullish Despite Major Obstacles
Cotton plant
The GMO High-Risk List: Cotton
Close up of beautiful Afro American lady applying powder on face with cosmetic brush and smiling
New GMO Alert: Synbio Is Beauty’s Ugly Little Secret
Sugar beets field
The GMO High-Risk List: Sugar Beets
What Is Animal-Free Dairy?
Non-GMO soybeans
New GMO Alert: When Is a Soybean Really a Pig?
The European flag waving on a flagpole against a cloudy sky
The EU Should Not Follow the US’s Bad Example in Deregulating GMOs
Looking down on an orange table top, into a bowl of flaked corn cereal, a small pitcher of cold white milk and a bowl of delicious honey. There decorations of honeycomb shapes overlaid in white on the upper left and lower right corners of the image.
To Eat Like a Champion, Choose a Non-GMO Breakfast
Growing Soybean field
A Soy Story: Meet Plant-Based Cuisine's Star Ingredient
Glass of beer on malt grains
New GMO Alert: It's Just Like Beer. No, Wait, It IS Beer!
plant-based fishsticks on a wodden bamboo plate with herbs sprinkled on top and lemon wedges on the side
Plant-Based Offers Fresh Ways To Love Seafood
A pair of juicy, plant-based burgers ready-to-eat on a white plate, topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado and tzaziki. There's a glass of water flavored with citrus slices beside the burgers.
Want a Plant-Based Burger That's Good for the Planet? Go Non-GMO.
cell-cultivated meat under microscopic lens in a lab
Is Lab-Grown Meat the Solution We've Been Looking For?
Medium close up of oil palm fruits on trees
New GMO Alert: The Slippery Slope of Synbio Palm Oil
GMO zucchini
The GMO High-Risk List: Summer Squash
Honey bee sitting on a purple flower
Happy Honey Bee Day! Dance Like Bees Are Watching
Do We Need GMOs to Feed the World
Do We Need GMOs to Feed the World?
happy free range chicken in the meadow
New GMO Alert: The Downside of Upside Foods
Curly hair woman of color eating ice cream from a spoon while holding ice cream cone
Try Our Favorite Plant-Based Ice Creams
Whey protein powder on a wooden spoon
New GMO Alert: Animal-Free Dairy Is Shutting Doors, Seeking Buyers and Selling to Consumers
Red and White dairy cattle
Dairy Month Is Better With the Butterfly
soybean crop
The GMO High-Risk List: Soybeans
Mustard greens are one of the popular leaf vegetables harvested mustard greens in garden.
New GMO Alert: Conscious Foods Makes CRISPR Produce for Unaware Consumers
The Science on GMOs Isn't Settled — Here's Why
Hands planting seeds on the ground in dark brown soil
Are Hybrid Seeds the Same as GMOs?
New GMO Alert: Turning Fruit Flies Into GMO Bioreactors
White potatoes laying on the ground pulled out from the soil
"Wild Relatives" Hold More Solutions Than GMOs
Female scientist facing their back is holding a tech device doing testing in a corn field
New GMO Alert: Gene-Edited Microbes Introduce a New Twist in GMO Agriculture
The Old Story Behind New GMOs
Pastel pink eyeshadow and brush
New GMO Alert: The Seduction of Beauty and What’s Really in That Jar
ground coffee and honey top view
New GMO Alert: Bee-Less Honey and Bean-Less Coffee? A Translation Guide
2022: The Year in Review
2022: The Year in Review
Different sugar on white background
New GMO Alert: Move over synbio stevia; there are new GMO sweeteners in town
Purple tomatoes vine
New GMO Alert: Purple tomato recently approved for U.S. import and cultivation
A sunset image of a barn on a green agricultural field
This Summer's Biggest and Tastiest Food News
An image of capitol hill building
Executive Order is a Massive Push Toward Further Privatization of U.S. Food Supply
Plant harvest
New GMO Alert: Molecular Farming
A young woman is seated at a table enjoying a healthy smoothie. There is a tray filled with fruit and vegetables on the table in front of her. The background shows illustrations of a variety of foods and dishes.the table
Where New GMOs Show Up in Plant-Based Foods
Open field with several cows standing
New GMO Alert: Motif FoodWorks™
wheat field
New GMO Alert: Bioceres GM HB4 Wheat Gains Traction Worldwide
New GMO Alert: Animal-Free Dairy Products to Watch Out For
Man reading milk label
Synbio Milk Is a Dud
Man standing with a shopping cart opening a refrigerator door in a grocery store
The Butterfly Protects Your Right To Choose
New GMO Alert: Betterland Foods
Can a Lab-based Food System Save the World?
Can a Lab-Based Food System Save the World?
New GMO Alert: Recombinetics Heat-Tolerant GE Cow
Girl preparing a plant-based burger with love, patty is vegan, no cheese
Going Plant-Based to Save the Planet? Better Look For the Butterfly, Too
A woman of color decorating a chocolate cake with strawberries with her daughter
New GMO Alert: Climate Hero Super Cake Mix
Will Biotech "POP" Organic Corn's Best Defense Against GMO Pollen?
Hands spreading cream cheese on toast
New GMO Alert: Modern Kitchen
Know Your Labels! The Butterfly Makes Non-GMO Easy
Know Your Labels! The Butterfly Makes Non-GMO Easy
At the Supermarket: Handsome Man Uses Smartphone and Takes Picture of the Can of Goods. He's Standing with Shopping Cart in Canned Goods Section.
The New BE Label is Here! Or Is It??? (And Why You Should Still Look for the Butterfly)
African man looking up standing in a corn field
Non-GMO Project Presents: The Year in Food, 2021
whisk, egg white, egg yolk, cracked eggs
New GMO Alert: GMO-Made Egg White Proteins
New GMO Alert: Plant-Based “Meat” made with GMOs
Closeup of Vanilla flower, Reunion Island
Is Synbio Vanilla "Natural"? Heck, No!
New GMO Alert: Spider Silk Proteins for Skin Care Products
Shoppers inside a supermarket standing in the produce aisle
What is Bioengineered Food?
New GMO Alert: Collagen from Genetically Engineered Microbes
New GMO Alert: Animal-Plant Hybrids from Moolec Science
Graphic of Scientists analyzing DNA helix and editing genome within organisms
Unintended Outcomes and Off-Target Effects in New GMOs
New GMO Alert: Perfect Day
Close-up of DNA
New GMOs and Where to Find Them
African American female in a grocery store reading product ingredients standing behind her shopping cart.
What You Need To Know About Bioengineered (BE) Food Labeling
Atlantic salmon
GMO Salmon Launching this Spring in the U.S.
Pouring essential oil on hands
GMOs and Clean Beauty Products— Looking for the Butterfly in Cosmetics and Skincare
fish swimming upstream
Genetically engineered fish and meat coming to your table... soon?
New GMO Alert: Genetically Modified Salmon Ready for Launch
Concept food industry banner. Factory worker inspecting production line tanker in of dairy factory with computer tablet.
New GMO Alert: Two New Gene-Edited Products in the Market
Woman of color pouring orange juice from a carafe to a child on the breakfast table
New GMOs Created by Synbio Threaten Food Supply
The Dairy Diaries: Why Non-GMO Is the Cream of the Crop
CRISPR on the Move: From Mailbox to Icebox
The CRISPR Revolution
What You Need to Know about the New GMOs Showing Up in Our Food Supply
Understanding Biotechnology: New GMOs
Non-GMO soybeans
Understanding Biotechnology: What is a GMO?

What is a GMO?

Under the Non-GMO Project Standard, a genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism to which biotechnology has been applied. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.

Are GMOs safe?

In the absence of credible, independent, long-term feeding studies, the safety of GMOs is unknown. 

Are GMOs labeled?

Sixty-five countries around the world, including Australia, Japan and all of the countries in the European Union, require genetically modified foods to be labeled. Canada does not require any GMO labeling.

Under the USDA's National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), some – but not all – products containing GMOs must be labeled in the United States. In its current form, categorical exemptions prevent this law from delivering the transparency Americans deserve.

Which foods might contain GMOs?

Most packaged and processed foods contain ingredients derived from corn, soy, canola and sugar beet — and the vast majority of those crops grown in North America are genetically modified.

The Non-GMO Project also considers livestock, apiculture, and aquaculture products at high risk because genetically engineered ingredients are common in animal feed. This impacts animal-derived products such as eggs, milk, meat, honey, and seafood.

GMOs also sneak into food in the form of processed crop derivatives and inputs derived from other forms of genetic engineering, such as synthetic biology. Some examples include hydrolyzed vegetable protein, corn syrup, molasses, sucrose, textured vegetable protein, flavorings, vitamins, yeast products, flavors, proteins, sweeteners, microbes, enzymes, oils and fats.

How do GMOs affect farmers?

Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents to control the use and distribution of their genetically engineered seeds. Restrictive license agreements erode farmers' right to save seed. Relying on third-party corporations to provide farmers with both GMO seed and chemical inputs such as herbicide makes those farmers beholden to Big Ag, posing a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown.

What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment?

The most common genetically modified crops grown worldwide have been engineered for herbicide tolerance.7 In the first 20 years of the GMO experiment, the use of toxic herbicides, such as Roundup (glyphosate), increased fifteenfold.8 The use of these herbicides has led to a decline in native plants, which has downstream effects on biodiversity. Additionally, the overuse of herbicides has led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant “superweeds” and “superbugs,” which can only be killed by spraying more toxic chemicals. 

Most GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture and are developed and sold by the world’s largest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of these GMOs are unknown. Once released into the environment, these novel organisms cannot be recalled.

magnifiercrossarrow-right linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram