News

International Green Week 2025: "Ohne Gentechnik" discussed
"Ohne Gentechnik" (Non-GMO) and new genetic engineering were the topics of discussion at the 2025 International Green Week in Berlin. The German Association Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG) used the trade show for talks with politicians and other stakeholders.

Legal opinion: Do not shift liability risks for new genetic engineering to the EU food industry!
The planned dilution of genetic engineering regulations in the EU would shift safety testing and liability risks for plants produced with new genetic engineering and the products derived from them from biotechnology businesses to the food industry. These hitherto unnoticed consequences of the EU Commission's plans to deregulate genetic engineering are highlighted in a new legal opinion by the Berlin law firm GGSC on behalf of the German Association for Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG).

More field trials with plants from New Genetic Engineering in Europe
The number of experimental releases with plants from new genetic engineering (NGT) in Europe is increasing. In the UK, genetic engineering regulations have been largely deregulated and there are hardly any restrictions. Meanwhile, the EU Parliament has voted against new GMO import authorisations.

Supply of "Non-GMO" raw materials in the EU is secured
Three market insiders presented the latest information on the market situation for the most important "Non-GMO" crops corn/maize, soy and rapeseed in Europe and worldwide at the Non-GMO Summit held in Frankfurt, Germany, in the beginning of October.

BfR Consumer Monitor: Two thirds are concerned about genetic engineering in food
In the Consumer Monitor published by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), genetic engineering in food has been one of the best-known topics for consumers for years, causing them concern about their health.

Status quo and prospects for new genetic engineering regulations
At the International Non-GMO Summit 2024, Dr Dietmar Vybiral from the Austrian Ministry of Health provided an up-to-date overview of the controversial draft for a new EU GMO regulation and possible developments under the upcoming Council presidencies.

Hardly any NGT plants ready-to-market worldwide, hardly any climate-resilient varieties
At the International Non-GMO Summit 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany, Dr Samson Simon from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) provided an up-to-date overview of market-ready and planned NGT plants in Europe and worldwide.

Traces of genetic engineering in organic rice - The story of a traceability investigation
In July 2023, the food safety monitoring authorities in the German state of Hesse discovered genetic engineering contamination in a sample of organic basmati rice from Pakistan. The source could be an experimental release in 2001. The case was only reported to the EU alert system with a delay of over a year.

Non-GMO Summit 2024: international Non-GMO industry calls for transparency on NGTs and fair cooperation throughout the whole value chain
More than 160 representatives from a thriving international Non-GMO industry and leading European associations from 23 countries and four continents met on 7th and 8th October 2024 at the ‘International Non-GMO Summit 2024’ in Frankfurt.

Non-GMO industry meets for the "International Non-GMO Summit"
The leading European associations of the Non-GMO food and feed industry are hosting the "International Non-GMO Summit 2024" in Frankfurt am Main on 7-8 October 2024. International experts from politics, business, agricultural production and science will present the latest on trends in global Non-GMO markets and on the current debate in the EU on new genomic techniques (NGTs).

EU Member States position themselves regarding Hungarian NGT paper
The statements of 15 EU Member States in an informal enquiry by the Hungarian Council Presidency on the unresolved issues relating to the deregulation of new genetic engineering techniques (NGT) have been published. The NGT supporters insist on the tried arguments, while the opponents of deregulation introduce new aspects. One country unexpectedly changes its position.

GMO-free milk accounts for over 75 percent of total German milk volume
Well over three-quarters of milk in 2023 was produced in Germany without genetic engineering, 72.1 percent conventionally and 4.5 percent under organic farming criteria. Many dairies, including the Berchtesgadener Land dairy, help ensuring that GMO-free milk is available at a consistently high level.

Campaign for GMO-free food
From 13 September to 13 October 2024, an alliance of associations and initiatives is promoting a campaign for a GMO-free agriculture and food industry. Numerous events will draw attention to the threats posed to food production without genetic engineering by the deregulation of EU genetic engineering legislation. 19 September marks "GMO-free food day".

European enterprises call for rigorous labelling of NGTs
Dr István Nagy, current EU Council President for Agriculture and Fisheries, met today with representatives of a business initiative to submit an Open Letter “Food Industry for Freedom of Choice”. 376 businesses from the food industry in 16 EU Member States have signed the letter. Among them are renowned industry giants as the REWE Group, the third largest food retailer in the EU, the leading retailer in Austria, SPAR Austria, Europe's largest drugstore chain, dm-drogerie markt and the world's largest organic supermarket chain Biocoop.