GMOs cause new food allergies
Every approved GMO crop undergoes rigorous allergenicity testing before entering the food supply. No novel allergies attributable to approved GMO foods have been documented. The rise in food allergy prevalence preceded GMO commercialization and occurs in countries with minimal GMO exposure.
What we know
Genetic modification of food crops involves inserting specific genes to produce desired traits such as pest resistance, drought tolerance, or enhanced nutritional profiles. A common concern is that this process might introduce new allergenic proteins into the food supply. To address this concern, international regulatory bodies including the FDA, USDA, EPA, WHO, and European Food Safety Authority require comprehensive allergenicity assessments for every new GMO crop before it can be commercialized.
These assessments examine whether the source organism of the inserted gene is known to cause allergies, whether the new protein shares structural similarities with known allergens, whether the protein is resistant to digestion (which would allow it to trigger allergic responses), and whether it binds IgE antibodies from the serum of allergy patients. This screening process has proven effective: in the one confirmed case where an allergenic protein was accidentally transferred (Brazil nut protein into soybeans), the product was voluntarily withdrawn before reaching consumers.
A 2020 review published in the Journal of Food Allergy, drawing on decades of post-marketing surveillance, found no evidence that approved GMO foods have caused allergic reactions in the general population. The National Academies of Sciences 2016 comprehensive review of GMO safety reached the same conclusion. Critically, the rise in food allergy prevalence in Western countries began before GMO crops were commercially introduced in 1994 and has also occurred in countries like the UK where GMO crop exposure has been minimal.
FDA guidance issued in 2023 reinforced that GMO foods meet the same strict safety standards as all other foods and that approved GMOs are not more likely to cause allergies.
Common claims
- GMOs introduce new proteins that trigger food allergies.False for approved GMOs. All undergo allergenicity testing before market approval.
- The rise in food allergies is caused by GMOs.False. The allergy rise predates GMO commercialization and occurs in low-GMO countries.
- No GMO crop has ever been pulled for allergy concerns.False. Brazil nut-soy was voluntarily withdrawn before market, showing screening works.