New report highlights gap between New GMO hype and global market reality
Lack of market uptake and unproven sustainability benefits contrast with rapid regulatory change; Public resistance to new GMOs grows around indigenous, small-holder, and farmer rights.
BELLINGHAM, Wash., May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Non-GMO Industry Association (ENGA), The Non-GMO Project (US/Canada) and semnar (Switzerland), have announced the 2026 New GMOs Market Report. As a follow-up to the 2024 edition, the report analyzes global market developments and regulatory trends related to the next generation of genetically engineered food crops. The authors point to a growing disconnect between industry expectations, sustainability claims, and the real-world deployment of new genetic engineering technologies such as CRISPR. At the same time, the report identifies recent advancements made by several global communities, often led by indigenous, smallholder farmers, peasant movements and farm workers, in resisting biotechnology in the food system. The report's findings are stark: Despite the hype of new genetic engineering breakthroughs, often driven by the promise of climate and environmental benefits, just four New GMO crops are currently cultivated commercially worldwide (only one more than in 2025), and none currently demonstrate measurable sustainability benefits. At the same time, companies are developing 108 new GMO crops, many of which have received regulatory clearance but have not reached commercial-scale cultivation.
"There is a clear disconnect between promises and reality," said Heike Moldenhauer, ENGA Secretary General. "After years of development, market uptake is virtually non-existent and sustainability benefits haven't yet materialised. Whilst at the same time, New GMOs are being rapidly deregulated."
Ms. Moldenhauer added,"Our findings point to another year of virtually no commercial success for New GMO products and a failure to substantiate the claims that these technologies will deliver a more sustainable food system. Instead, a number of developments focus on traits such as 'non-browning' or extended shelf life, which risk misleading consumers by enhancing the appearance of freshness whilst not addressing sustainability challenges."
The report identified several New GMO crops that have been withdrawn from development since the 2024 report. Some of the earliest New GMO products have already been withdrawn from the market, underlining the poor commercial performance of these technologies to date.
"Biotech companies continue to promote new GMO technologies with ambitious claims about sustainability and market transformation, yet they have achieved very limited commercial adoption," said Hans Eisenbeis, Director of Mission and Messaging at the Non-GMO Project. "Meanwhile, farmers, manufacturers and shoppers continue to drive demand for transparent, non-GMO, organic and regenerative food systems that already deliver proven benefits."
Governments accelerate deregulation of new GMOs
While market uptake remains limited, regulatory change is advancing rapidly across major agricultural economies. A growing number of countries, including the United States, UK, Brazil, Argentina and Australia, have adopted regulatory frameworks that exempt new GMOs without foreign DNA from existing GMO regulations.
In practice, this results in the removal of requirements for risk assessment, traceability and labelling, which significantly reduces regulatory oversight compared to traditional GMO frameworks.
A growing global resistance
The past year has seen growing resistance to these deregulatory trends. Across multiple regions, farmers, consumer organisations and civil society groups are raising concerns about the removal of transparency requirements, the implications for seed sovereignty, and the potential for increased concentration in the seed sector.
Recent developments — including court decisions and policy interventions in countries such as Mexico and Kenya — demonstrate increasing legal and political challenges to deregulation efforts. In several cases, opposition stems from broader concerns about the rights of farmers and Indigenous communities, as well as the long-term governance of food systems.
The 2026 report was published ahead of the second annual International Non-GMO Summit on 13 May in Frankfurt.
About the report
The report's editors are: Hans Eisenbeis, The Non-GMO Project (USA), Eva Gelinsky, Researcher (CH) and Heike Moldenhauer, ENGA (BE).
This report is the second edition of this annual report, which is tailored to food business operators who want a quick overview of which New GMOs they may need to deal with today and in the near future. The editors of this report bring together their international expertise to offer the food industry a vital synopsis of New GMOs.
The report focuses on New GMOs (and not 'old genetic engineering' or old GMOs: transgenic GMOs), also commonly referred to as 'New Genomic Techniques' used by EU institutions or 'gene editing', which is commonly used in North America to describe GMOs into which no 'foreign' DNA has been incorporated.
About ENGA
The European Non-GMO Industry Association (ENGA) is the voice of the Non-GMO food and feed sector at the EU level. ENGA, founded in 2020, secures and supports the expansion of Non-GMO production and advocates for the strict regulation of old and New GMOs in order to keep untested and unlabelled GMOs from entering the EU food and feed chains.
About The Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit organization based in the US. Since 2007, the Non-GMO Project Verified seal has remained the most trusted third-party verification for GMO avoidance in the US and Canada. Through its Food Integrity Collective, Non-UPF Verified program, and Non-GMO Project Verified mark, the organization promotes transparency and health in food systems. Learn more at foodintegritycollective.org, nonultraprocessed.org, and nongmoproject.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alex Tursi, Non-GMO Project, [email protected]
SOURCE Non-GMO Project
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