Genetic engineering in food: where it could still be with relaxed rules

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Genetically modified food – many people in Germany feel uncomfortable with this idea. The EU Commission has now proposed relaxing the rules on this. This could result in certain genetically modified foods finding their way onto the market without special testing and labelling. Here is an overview:

Are the methods safe?

According to the researchers, there is no reasonable doubt about this. Nicolaus von Wirén from the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics, for example, emphasized that the proposed approval criteria are based on many years of experience and knowledge, and that such mutations, which could also occur naturally, do not pose an increased risk for humans and the environment. In addition, each new variety is still subject to legally regulated variety testing and approval, he said.

In other words: genetically modified plants will not come onto the market in the future without being tested completely.

How have genetic engineering processes been regulated so far and what is new?

Among other things, EU genetic engineering law includes methods in which genes from other species are introduced into a plant – such as genes from a bacterium in corn. This so-called transgenesis falls under the strict admission rules and must be declared. This also includes an approval procedure with risk assessment, which in practice lasts several years. That should continue to be the case. In the future, genetically modified plants that could have been created using conventional methods such as selection or crossing are to be exempted.

What would the changes mean for consumers?

In the future, they will no longer be able to tell at first glance whether they are eating food that has been genetically modified. For this reason, the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (VZBV) has criticized the Commission’s project. “With the European Commission’s proposal, this freedom of choice is at stake,” said Michaela Schröder from the VZBV.

Products in which labeled genetically modified plants are processed are currently of no importance in Germany. Indirectly, genetic engineering is already ending up on our plates. “There is no labeling obligation for products from animals that have been fed with genetically modified feed,” says the Ministry of Agriculture on the website.

In addition, certain methods involving, for example, genetic modification through irradiation or chemicals are already partially exempt from regulation and labeling under genetic engineering law. “Even if the method sounds brutal, it is classic breeding,” emphasized the deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Carina Konrad.

What advantages can this new genetic engineering offer?

Many researchers see enormous potential: there is hope, for example, of developing a wheat variety that is resistant to the fungal disease powdery mildew. But stress-resistant corn plants or allergen-free peanuts are also conceivable. Proponents also hope that particularly resilient plants will have positive effects with regard to hunger and the climate crisis.

According to the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, more than 100 potentially marketable approaches are currently known worldwide in which plants have been modified with gene scissors. These plants offer advantages for low-pesticide and resource-conserving agriculture. Examples include soybeans with healthier fatty acids, potatoes that can be stored longer, and types of wine and cocoa that are resistant to fungi.

In a recent report, the UN agricultural organization FAO writes that genetic engineering enables more efficient and precise improvements than many previous breeding methods. Several EU MEPs called the proposals an opportunity to revolutionize plant breeding.

What are the dangers for the environment?

Green MEP Martin Häusling warns that genetically modified crops have led to greater use of pesticides in other parts of the world. Matin Qaim from the University of Bonn takes a more differentiated view, since there are certainly reductions in the use of insecticides. The increase in the use of pesticides against weeds is due to the fact that plants have acquired resistance to weed killers.

The professor of agricultural economics emphasizes: “Not all characteristics reduce the use of pesticides.” But which characteristics could promote sustainability and how they are used is an important question that needs to be investigated further. “But the taboo on genetic engineering doesn’t help.”

Are big corporations getting too much power over food production?

Here, too, opinions differ. SPD faction deputy Matthias Miersch emphasized that patents on plants and their concentration in the hands of a few large companies were threatened. That would make farmers dependent on a few large corporations. The Commission states that it is aware of the need to create a balanced framework that facilitates farmers’ and breeders’ access to patented processes and materials. Seed diversity at affordable prices is needed. A report is to be presented in 2026 that will deal with these concerns, among other things.