Major Health Alert: the Extraordinary Genetically Modified Invasion of Our Supermarkets by Stealth

Many of you have written and asked about the current prevalence of genetically modified foods and the potential health risks. An up to date answer to this question comes as a huge surprise even to the team at the Hatchard Report. Today’s article lists the affected products, and discusses the history and industry pressure which created a regulatory framework lax enough to allow the genetic engineering of the preparation and content of most supermarket foods.

Food processing aids, enzymes, additives, flavours and colours were originally derived from natural plant and animal sources, With the rise of mass production in the food industry these were required in greater quantities to ensure that industrial-scale fast continuous processes turned out products of uniform appearance, taste and consistency. As a result, food industry chemists invented batch fermentation techniques whereby naturally occurring bacterial strains such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) facilitated the necessary cell replication and proliferation at a mass scale.

More recently batch fermentation has become dominated by genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs). 

These GMMs are designed to tailor and accelerate the fermentation processes. A 2023 paper entitled “Bioengineered Enzymes and Precision Fermentation in the Food Industry” reports:

“Enzymes have been used in the food processing industry for many years. However, the use of native [naturally occurring] enzymes is not conducive to high activity, efficiency, range of substrates, and adaptability to harsh food processing conditions. The advent of enzyme engineering approaches such as rational design, directed evolution, and semi-rational design provided much-needed impetus for tailor-made enzymes with improved or novel catalytic properties. Production of designer enzymes became further refined with the emergence of synthetic biology and gene editing techniques and a plethora of other tools such as artificial intelligence, and computational and bioinformatics analyses which have paved the way for what is referred to as precision fermentation for the production of these designer enzymes more efficiently.”

Ostensibly, these genetically modified processes are supposed to be more efficient and produce purer products however these routinely differ in critical ways from their natural counterparts. As a result, the food industry pushed very hard for the GMM processes to be unregulated and unidentified on food content labels. For example a 2022 article entitled “Recombinant DNA in fermentation products is of no regulatory relevance” deceptively suggested that fermentation products produced via GMM techniques are “more sustainable”. It stated: “There is no meaningful rationale for using recombinant DNA for regulatory classification of fermentation products.” It argued that too much regulation would de-incentivize innovation in industrial biotechnology, and introduced instead a concept called “proportionate regulation”, which amounts to little if any regulation. In the end, their view has prevailed around the world. The role of GMMs in food production has escaped identification on labels. 

The scope of the revolution in GM food production beggars belief. 

The list of everyday products now produced with the aid of genetically modified microorganisms is seemingly endless and includes the following.

• Amylases: which catalyse the hydrolysis of starch into sugars, aimed at improving the quality and shelf life of bread and other baked goods
• Proteases: which hydrolyze proteins, used in meat tenderisers, infant formula, and to improve the flavour of milk and cheese
• Pectinases: which hydrolyze pectin, used in juice clarification and fruit pulp treatment
• Transglutaminases: Cross-link proteins, which are used in meat and fish
• Galactosidase: Reduces viscosity in grain legumes and lupins, which are used in animal feed
• Glucanase: Reduces viscosity in oats and barley, which are used in animal feed
• Invertase: Hydrolyzes sucrose to produce invert sugar syrup which is used in baked goods, candies (including chocolates, truffles, toffees, marshmallows, taffies, and caramels), sweetened beverages (including soft drinks, iced tea, etc.), frozen treats (including ice cream and sorbets), beer and commercial kombucha
• Lactase: Hydrolyzes lactose and whey to develop products free from lactose for lactose-intolerant people. It is also used to produce frozen yoghurt 
• Lactic Acid: used in the production of cultured butter
• Lipase: Supports lipid digestion in young animals, and is used in cheese flavouring and dough conditioning
• Citric Acid: used in stock cubes, commercial citric juices, jams, preserves, canned tomatoes, wine, ice cream, sorbets
• Xanthan Gum: a stabiliser and thickener which is used in fruit juices, salad dressings, sauces, gravies, gluten-free products, low-fat foods and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free processed products
• Amino Acids: The human body needs 20 amino acids to function properly. Synthetically produced copies are added as flavour enhancers
• Monosodium Glutamate MSG: A flavour enhancer commonly used in Chinese and Asian foods. Also used in instant noodles, potato chips, hot dogs, lunch meats, pepperoni, bacon, pastrami, sausages, salami, chicken, beef, salmon, mackerel, scallops, crab, shrimp, canned tuna, frozen pizzas, crackers, deli meats, etc.
• Aspartame: Artificial sweetener used in diet drinks and other products labelled as sugar free
• Vegetarian Rennet: produced by Pfizer and others, used to make 75% of cheese world wide
• Vitamins: like riboflavin (B2) added to flour, and a great many other vitamins which are used in a very wide range of foods including milk alternatives like almond milk, etc.
• Beta-Carotene: just one of the many engineered colours now used in a huge range of foods including margarine, cheese, fruit juices, baked goods, and dairy products. Also used to enhance the colour of processed meats like bacon, spam, corned beef, and sausages, vegetarian meat substitutes, pet food, and tomato ketchup.
• Vanillin: a synthetic vanilla flavour used in ice cream, baked goods, chocolate, aromatherapy, coffee, alcoholic beverages, perfumes often falsely identified as ‘natural’ on the labels.

I’m going to stop there and take a deep breath. The full list would run to thousands of products. Virtually all of the above are produced overseas and imported into NZ where they are widely used in food production. What can you say? All of them are processed foods, but many of them are found in the cupboards of even the most ardent natural food advocates. Is this a done deal with no turning back? Even the organic industry has accepted that additives produced using GMMs can be used in organic products as long as no GMMs are present, but the industry doesn’t have the resources to test compliance. 

Universal genetic contamination ignored by lax regulatory authorities

A paper published in 2021 entitled “GEMs: genetically engineered microorganisms and the regulatory oversight of their uses in modern food production” lays out the regulatory framework (or lack of it) very clearly. Foods produced via processes using genetically engineered microorganisms do not need to be labelled as GMO. They fall under Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS) categories. It has been presumed by regulators that the genetically modified microorganisms used during batch fermentation will not be present in the final products. However, the latest research shows this to be a false assumption.

Recent research has found that residual GMM contamination is present in virtually all products produced via batch fermentation using genetically modified microorganisms. A study published in 2025 in the journal Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences is entitled “Metagenomics-based tracing of genetically modified microorganism contaminations in commercial fermentation products. It reports on a well-hidden and seldom mentioned dirty secret—namely genetic contamination, saying: 

“Genetically modified microorganisms (GMM) are frequently employed for the production of microbial fermentation products such as food enzymes. Although presence of the GMM or its recombinant DNA in the final product is not authorised, contaminations occur frequently.”  

It found GMM contamination in all 16 biosynthesised food enzymes it examined including the very concerning presence of antibiotic resistant genes, thus highlighting possible public health risks of biosynthesis. The GMMs used in batch fermentation are catalytic bacterial engines specifically designed to accelerate and maximise cell proliferation. Their presence equates to a possible theoretical risk of malignant cellular growth and interference with beneficial microbial processes in the gut. We have used the term ‘theoretical’ only because no one has been required to research their real life health outcomes.

A paper entitled rDNA Traces in Fermentation Products Using Genetically Modified Microorganisms (GMMs) spells out the EU policy on such contamination. Apparently to side step the issue, GMM contamination is classified as a ‘residue’ which does not need identification on labels because it is not an ‘ingredient’. An argument which qualifies for the double speak of the year award. It is presumed to be covered by other food legislation designed to protect purity. In fact there is virtually no regulatory effort to test for GMM contamination. In practice, foods produced using GMMs are presumed safe and remain untested. Regulators have given up and bowed to industry pressure. All of these players are fully aware that if GMM processes were identified on labels many consumers would be rightly very cautious and exercise their preference for traditional ingredient sources. The biosynthetic industry wishes to avoid this at all costs as it pushes ahead with more and more genetically modified food substitution.

Our entire food chain has been polluted with GMMs

As a result, genetically engineered bacteria have been rapidly and secretly introduced into the increasingly globalised food chain on a false presumption of safety unsupported by any testing of health outcomes. GMMs are not genetically similar to naturally occurring foods nor can they be presumed safe, they contain artificial sequences of genetic instructions potentially capable of interfering with immune processes key to the maintenance of good health and they are now present in foods across the entire spectrum of supermarket processed and packaged goods. It is well known that even very minor changes in genetic structures down to the level of single codons can critically affect health, but industry, government and regulators are determined to turn a blind eye to the potentially serious risks to health.

We already know that processed foods are at the heart of a burgeoning public health crisis, causing rising rates of cancers, heart disease, inflammation and auto-immune conditions which have suddenly accelerated in recent years. Conversely, as I explain in my book Your DNA Diet, fresh foods from natural sources promote better health outcomes. The biosynthetic revolution is replacing these natural sources using genetically engineered processes. Since 1990, the use of biosynthesis has gradually accelerated in foods, medicines, and the environment. Over the last five years it has become ubiquitous and all but unavoidable for working people. 

To avoid GMMs make an effort to find fresh food sources, go to your local organic supplier or farmers market. Cook at home using traditional methods, do your research, and cooperate with neighbours. Local networks are becoming increasingly important.

The summary point to make here is the novel genetic nature of the contamination. These are not minute traces of potentially toxic chemicals such as pesticides, they are active sequences of genetic instructions capable of interfering with the fundamental basis of our health. In other words, they are prime suspects in the search for the causes of the current tsunami of ill health. Incredibly, our NZ government, rather than tightening up on consumer safeguards and labelling, proposes to completely ignore the warning signs and go full monty on biotech deregulation.

LAST CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY

We are at a crossroads where decisions made will affect us all for generations. Find out more by viewing our YouTube video The Gene Technology Bill. What Kiwis Need To Know and then make a submission to the Health Select Committee this weekend by Monday February 17th. There are many reasons to reject the Gene Technology Bill. We have published suggestions for a submission template, but you can make your own submission of any length. Even just saying that full disclosure labelling of gene edited origins including food ingredients produced via genetically modified microorganisms needs to be mandated will make a significant point. The more submissions that are received, the more it can become clear to the government that we care about our natural foods.

Be warned, MPs are telling their constituents that clear labelling of GMO content will continue as before. This is not the case, the word ‘label’ appears zero times in the Bill, yet it replaces earlier legislation. The Bill will exempt most CRISPR products and all GMMs from any regulation or control. We should not accept politicians misleading us whether intentionally or not.

We do not live in a country where people are willing to let others take away their food choices, their rights, their beliefs and increase exposure to serious long term environmental and health risks. To protect this, we need to stand up and be heard. Keep using your voice at this critical time.