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SupportedFoodLast updated: December 15, 2025

GMO food safety

Major scientific and regulatory bodies worldwide, including WHO, EFSA, and the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, have concluded that currently approved genetically modified foods are as safe to eat as their conventional counterparts. More than 3,000 studies support this conclusion.

What we know

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) approved for food use have undergone rigorous safety assessments before reaching the market. WHO states that GM foods currently available on the international market have passed safety assessments and are unlikely to present risks to human health. EFSA's GMO Panel conducts detailed case-by-case risk assessments for every GM food submitted for EU authorization, covering molecular characterization, food/feed safety, and environmental impact.

A comprehensive 2016 report by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined over 900 studies and concluded that there was no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between currently commercially available GE crops and conventionally bred crops. Epidemiological data from countries where GM foods have been consumed for decades shows no association between consumption of GM foods and any disease or chronic condition.

Over 280 independent scientific institutions worldwide recognize the safety of approved GM crops, according to a review by the Genetic Literacy Project citing Davison and Ammann (2017). In 2025, EFSA further concluded that new genomic techniques (NGTs) for farmed food animals do not pose novel hazards compared to conventional breeding.

Some researchers maintain that long-term effects in humans remain understudied, that environmental impacts (e.g., herbicide-resistant weeds) require ongoing monitoring, and that each GMO must be assessed individually. These are legitimate areas of scientific discussion. However, the specific claim that approved GMO foods pose unique health risks to consumers is not supported by the accumulated evidence from regulatory science.

Common claims

  • GMO foods cause cancer or other diseasesNot supported by evidence, no epidemiological association has been found
  • Long-term human safety of GMOs has never been studiedPartly true but overstated, epidemiological data from populations consuming GMOs for 30+ years show no specific harms
  • GMOs are banned in Europe because they're proven unsafeMisleading, EU applies a precautionary approach for authorization; many GMOs are approved for import
  • Corporations suppress evidence of GMO harmNot supported, independent institutional reviews consistently confirm safety

Evidence hierarchy

01National Academies: Genetically Engineered Crops, Experiences and Prospects (2016)Review of 900+ studies; found no substantiated evidence of health risks from approved GE crops compared with conventional crops02EFSA GMO Panel, scientific opinions on GM food/feed safetyEFSA conducts case-by-case risk assessments; no approved GMO has been found to pose novel health hazards03WHO: Food safety, Frequently asked questions on genetically modified foodsWHO states GM foods available internationally have passed safety assessments and are unlikely to pose health risks04Snell et al. (2012): Assessment of the health impact of GM plant diets in long-term and multigenerational animal feeding trialsSystematic review of 12 long-term and multigenerational feeding studies; found no significant adverse effects

All sources

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