Genetically Modified Food Safety – making sense of it

Let’s face it – we live in a world of information overload and vast contradictions. Having been a part of the health industry for almost 20 years, I  have learned and also taught what I’ve learned under an ‘evidence-based model.’ However, I have to say, after bearing witness to ‘good clinical evidence’ later being contradicted by more up-to-date research, I have to also rely on my instinct and common sense, as much as ‘evidence’. For this reason, I repeatedly come back to my food philosophy; to eat food as close to nature as possible.

Which brings me to Genetically Modified (GM) foods. Now I’m certainly no expert on this hotly debated topic. But what I understand about the basic mechanisms of genetic modification is more than enough for me to avoid consuming GM food. Let me explain.

What is GM food?

“Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Currently, available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM, animals are likely to be introduced on the market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides” World Health Organisation (WHO).

Why I choose to avoid GM foods

So what happens to make a plant genetically modified? The main objective of developing plants based on GM organisms is to improve crop protection by developing resistance to disease and pests (therefore increasing yield and profit). Here are some of the ways this is achieved (in very basic terms)…

1. The plant is genetically modified to include a toxic bacteria so that when a pest eats it, their stomach literally explodes. So what happens when we ingest this GM plant/toxin? What exactly are the impact and cumulative effect on our guts having done so? Given the importance of our gut (flora) on our overall health, I’m not willing to risk ingesting anything designed to interfere with its proper functioning.

2. Food is genetically modified so it is resistant to the commonly used herbicide in Roundup (a glyphosate based product). This means that crops can be sprayed en-mass without dying.  So GM crops are typically far more contaminated with glyphosate than conventional crops. But not only does the Roundup kill the weeds surrounding the crop but the bacteria, bugs, worms and everything living around the crop.  At the very least, when we are ingesting food that has been sprayed with glyphosate, our gut (microflora) is adversely impacted.

At the end of March 2015, based on studies by 17 oncologists, the WHO has re-assessed its position on glyphosate and called it a ‘probable’ human carcinogen. Monsanto is demanding the World Health Organisation retract their ground-breaking report  (RoundUp, is the chemical cornerstone of Monsanto’s Genetically Modified empire). Many medical professionals have concerns re the increase in allergy, poor gut function and the impact of GM on the health of children.

Update – In 2019, Monstano were been found guilty of intentionally misleading the public and have since been sued for being responsible for cancers in multiple people. Thousands more cases are awaiting their day in court

3. Genetic promoters are injected into the plants to increase the desirable genes, for example, to increase the colour or fruit yield of tomatoes. But then when we ingest these plants, are we waking up genes we might not necessarily be wanting activated in our own bodies?  We cannot deny that rates of cancer are increasing more rapidly than ever before. So many questions!

I’ve recently read a report that claims “genetically modified foods are as safe or safer than conventional or organically grown foods.”  Based on the mechanisms of action I have just described, I just can’t accept that we can tamper with food at it’s most basic biological being, without it affecting us adversely. At the end of the day, I trust nature more than big profit driven corporations.

Genetic modification and food labeling

If a GM food contains novel DNA, novel protein or particular altered characteristics, the words “genetically modified” generally need to appear alongside the food or ingredient. For example, an ingredient list might say: Soy flour (genetically modified).

However, there are some significant exemptions and this is the part I think consumers should understand.

Highly refined ingredients

If a GM-derived food has been highly refined in a way that removes the novel DNA and protein, it may not need to carry a genetically modified statement unless it has a specifically regulated altered characteristic.

This can potentially include ingredients such as highly refined oils derived from GM soy, canola or cottonseed.

So you cannot simply assume that an ingredient such as “vegetable oil” is non-GM because there is no GM declaration beside it. This is yet another reason I avoid foods containing vegetable oil or seed oils of any kind.

Small amounts of flavourings

GM-derived flavourings present at no more than 0.1 per cent of the food can be exempt from GM labelling.

Accidental contamination

An approved GM food can be unintentionally present at up to 1 per cent of an individual ingredient without triggering the GM labelling requirement.

Restaurants and takeaway food

Food prepared for immediate consumption by restaurants, cafés, caterers and takeaway businesses is exempt from the usual GM labelling requirement.

Animal products

Meat, milk and eggs from animals that have eaten GM feed are not required to be labelled genetically modified. The animal itself isn’t genetically modified simply because it consumed GM feed, so these products fall outside the GM labelling requirement.

This is one of the larger gaps in labelling if avoiding GM-derived agricultural systems is important to you.

Some newer gene-edited foods

Since the Australian definition changed in September 2025, certain foods produced using gene-editing techniques that don’t result in novel DNA may not legally meet the definition of GM food.

As a result, they wouldn’t necessarily require the pre-market GM approval and labelling that consumers might associate with genetically modified foods. I think this is something worth being aware of as these technologies become more widely used.

Ways to avoid ingesting GM food (in a nutshell).

For me it comes back to the same advice I give around almost every aspect of nutrition.

Eat mostly whole foods. The fewer highly processed ingredients you’re consuming, the easier it is to know what you’re actually eating. So many processed foods contain GM ingredients, so this is another good reason to avoid them.

So here’s what I do.

Read ingredient labels. Look for the words “genetically modified”, while remembering that the absence of those words does NOT necessarily guarantee a product has no GM-derived ingredients.

Look for credible organic or non-GMO certification if avoiding GM is important to you. Australia’s National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms and their derivatives. One caveat is that Australia does not require all foods marketed domestically as “organic” to be formally certified, so I prefer recognised ‘certification’ rather than relying on the word organic alone.

Know that grass-fed doesn’t automatically mean GM-free. Choosing genuinely grass-fed and grass-finished meat reduces reliance on grain feed, but the term itself is not a GM-free certification. Certified organic or a specific verified GM-free feeding claim provides more certainty if this is important to you.

So that’s my ideas and concerns about ignoring this developing change to our food chain.  Feel free to add you thoughts and ideas by posting a comment below.

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