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Question

If I buy food from Europe, is it GMO free?

I have heard that Europe does not allow GMO seeds. If I buy pasta from Italy and Oatmeal from Ireland are they GMO free?

Submitted by: Sandra Mullen


Answer

Expert response from Katarzyna Jasik

Communications Manager, Agricultural Biotechnology, EuropaBio

Friday, 30/01/2015 15:24

There is only one GM crop approved for cultivation in the EU - an insect resistant maize, which has been cultivated in Europe since 1998 in five countries (Spain, Portugal, The Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia), but around 50 GM crops can be imported into the EU. 

 

Regarding commercially produced dry pasta, it is made almost exclusively from durum (so called "hard wheat"). As of today no GM wheat is grown commercially, not in Europe nor in the U.S. However, many fields tests have been conducted for herbicide tolerance, resistance against pathogens and virus resistance. The same goes for oatmeal: there are no genetically modified oats in existence today. So your pasta and oatmeal are GMO free, wherever you decide to buy them.