Literature horizon scan for new scientific data on plants, microorganisms and animals, and their products obtained by new genomic techniques (October 2025).
Ardizzone M, Bonatti M, Branchi A, Goumperis T
Crispr
Crops and foods reaching your grocery store or farmers' market may increasingly be developed using gene-editing tools, and this report confirms that European scientists have checked the latest research and found no new red flags for your health or the environment.
Scientists in Europe regularly scan new research on gene-edited plants and animals to make sure nothing alarming has been missed. After reviewing all studies published up to late 2025, they found nothing that changed their existing understanding of how safe these techniques are. Essentially, the growing body of research continues to back up what regulators already knew — no surprises, no new dangers.
Key Findings
A systematic literature review of studies on new genomic techniques (including gene editing) published up to October 2025 found zero studies containing new hazards not already addressed by prior EFSA scientific opinions.
The review covered organisms across three kingdoms — plants, microorganisms, and animals — as well as products derived from them, using formal inclusion/exclusion criteria and a pre-published protocol.
EFSA is required to deliver these horizon-scanning reports biannually to the European Commission, making this part of an ongoing regulatory monitoring system rather than a one-time assessment.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Europe's food safety authority reviewed hundreds of recent scientific studies on gene-edited crops, microbes, and animals and concluded that none revealed safety risks beyond what regulators had already considered. The finding supports continued confidence in the existing framework for evaluating these new breeding technologies.
Abstract Preview
The European Food Safety Authority has issued several scientific opinions on plants, microorganisms and animals obtained through certain new genomic techniques (NGTs), following requests received b...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...