Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Worldwide, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) constitute a threat to food sovereignty, to farmers livelihoods, and to the environment and biodiversity. GMOs are often presented as a solution to hunger and food security, but so far they have not shown that they can provide any actual solutions to problem of hunger. Their development and their production, in fact, satisfy the economic interests of multinationals and contribute to the increase of corporate control, rather than the need to feed an expanding population.

As a consequences, small-scale farmers’ livelihoods and freedom to choose what they will produce is under threat. Furthermore, GMOs contribute to an agricultural model based on monocultures and high levels of pesticide use, which endanger both our biodiversity and farmers’ health.  

Despite there being few authorizations for the production of GMOs in the EU, Europe is not “GMO-free”. The import of GMO corn and soy to feed animals raised in the EU, as well as the development of new techniques of gene editing (new GMOs) are issues on which Slow Food continues to fight tirelessly.  

Slow Food advocates for pesticide and GMO-free food and animal feed. It stands firm for a future without pesticides and GMOs, a prospect that puts the value of food and the dignity of producers at its core.

Resources

Response to the EU Commission’s Report on New GMOs (2021)
English

Policy Brief: The European Commission’s Working Document on “New Genomic Techniques” (2021)
English | Italian | German | French

Position Paper on Genetically Modified Organisms (2016)
English | Italian | Portuguese | French | Spanish 

Joint Statement on New Techniques of Genetic Engineering (2016)
English