Stop GMO Wheat

Why We’re Concerned

Glufosinate is toxic to human health health  

HB4 wheat allows glufosinate to be sprayed directly on wheat, which could lead to increased residues of the toxic herbicide in common foods such as breads, pasta, and cereals. Glufosinate is banned in the European Union because of concerns about reproductive toxicity. Research links glufosinate to premature birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, skeletal birth defects, and autism-like behaviors in offspring. The chemical is significantly more toxic than the herbicide glyphosate in terms of long-term exposure according to EPA assessments. Pregnant people, infants, and children are particularly at risk. 

GMO wheat extends a failed, toxic system to a staple food

We’ve been here before — and it failed. HB4 wheat is not innovation, it is a repetition of a well-documented failure — the chemical-dependent model introduced with Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” crops in the 1990s. Those GMO crops drove massive increases in herbicide use, spawned herbicide-resistant superweeds, and trapped farmers on a costly pesticide treadmill. Glufosinate-tolerant crops are already following the same path. HB4 wheat would extend this failed, toxic system to another global staple food — deepening chemical dependence, increasing costs for farmers, and compounding environmental damage, while delivering no proven public benefit.

Glufosinate harms soil, pollinators, and the environment

Pollinators are responsible for one in three bites of food that we eat, and soil health is the foundation of sustainable and productive agriculture. Glufosinate puts our food system at risk by harming pollinators and soil organisms, and it’s also linked to negative impacts to aquatic ecosystems. It’s also highly mobile, increasing the risk of soil and water pollution. 

GMO wheat poses serious risks to farmers and supply chains

GMO wheat has failed commercialization in the U.S. multiple times due to serious trade concerns. Nearly half of U.S. wheat is exported, yet major trading partners — including Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines — do not accept GMO wheat. Past contamination incidents with unapproved GMO crops have triggered import suspensions, costing farmers millions. Even farmers who don’t plant HB4 could suffer, as genetic contamination and supply-chain mixing could jeopardize all U.S. wheat exports. 

Meanwhile, GMO seeds undermine farmers’ economic sovereignty by locking them into restrictive contracts with powerful seed and chemical corporations.

GMO wheat is not “drought tolerant”

HB4 is being marketed by its manufacturer, Bioceres Crop Solutions, as “drought tolerant.” Yet there is no independent evidence supporting those claims. Analyses of company and government data suggest it may actually yield less than conventional wheat, even in dry years. Traditional plant breeding and agroecological methods are proven, safer, and more effective as climate solutions.

What You Can Do

GMO wheat is currently NOT being grown commercially in the U.S. Friends of the Earth is calling on companies and consumers to stop GMO wheat before it takes root and support safer, sustainable alternatives: organic farming, agroecology, and traditional plant breeding. Together, we can protect our food, farmers, and the environment. 

Support organic farming and #OrganicForAll. USDA organic prohibits all uses of genetic engineering, as well as more than 900 synthetic pesticides otherwise allowed in agriculture. Clean, healthy organic food is human right — and needs to be accessible for all of us.