Food modified using modern genetic engineering processes should in future be able to be sold in supermarkets in the EU without special labeling.
Dec 4, 2025, 4:41 a.mDec 4, 2025, 4:41 a.m
Negotiators from the EU states and the European Parliament agreed in Brussels to exempt corresponding breeds from previously strict EU genetic engineering rules in many cases, as both sides announced on Thursday night.
A shelf from retailer Aldi in Germany.Image: www.imago-images.de
The new requirements still have to be confirmed by the EU Parliament and the EU states. Normally this is a formality if the institutions’ negotiators have previously agreed on a compromise.
However, the same safety requirements still apply to such foods as to breeding that has arisen through crossing and selection. In case of doubt, a plant modified using the Crispr/Cas gene scissors cannot be distinguished from natural breeding.
Better fruits and vegetables?
Proponents hope that the changes will produce fruits and vegetables that are more productive, more resistant to climate change and more nutritious. Researchers also expect research to be easier thanks to less strict requirements.
There are already looser rules in other regions of the world, which is why representatives of parliament and EU states are pushing for better competitiveness for farmers.
Critics wanted mandatory labeling
Critics demand, among other things, that consumers should be given freedom of choice as to whether they want to consume such foods or not. Organic farming should remain GMO-free in the future. However, according to Parliament, it should not constitute a violation when it comes to the “technically unavoidable presence” of genetic engineering.
In principle, both small and significantly larger interventions are possible with genetic scissors. Stricter rules will continue to apply to further interventions in plants in the future – for example, if genes from a different species are introduced into a plant. This is the case, for example, when genes from a bacterium are introduced into a corn plant. (sda/dpa)