Contrary to industry claims, GMOs do not have a history of safe use.84,85 In the US, biotechnology regulations focus on a GMO's potential to become a plant pest rather than its safety for human consumption. The FDA accepts voluntary, self-directed assessments of GMOs to establish equivalence with non-GMO crops. These assessments are conducted by the same corporations that stand to profit from their commercialization — an apparent conflict of interest.
A 2007 analysis of existing studies on GMO safety showed "nothing that guaranteed the long-term safety of GM[O] food consumption."86,87 Since then, agrochemical corporations have actively discredited credible studies that identify negative human health impacts., Learn more about the potential health impacts of GMOs.
In the 30 years since GMOs entered the food supply, biotechnology has become much more complex. Today's GMOs contain multiple traits and more modifications compared to early GMOs.90 The public has greater exposure to GMOs because there are more GMO-derived ingredients in the supply chain. While new genomic techniques such as gene editing are lauded as more precise than traditional GMOs, a growing body of evidence has found unintended outcomes, off-target effects and mass deletions in the genomes of GMOs made through new genomic techniques.91,92
Health and safety impacts have not been revisited despite a clear need to investigate potential risks.93