Which Countries Have Banned GMO Foods?

GMO foods have become controversial in many countries.

GMO foods, or genetically modified foods, are crops, animals and other food products that have had their genes changed to create breeds and strains of plants and animals that do not naturally occur. While many countries have adopted GMO foods, others have banned the production and selling of GMO foods and created guidelines that demand GMO foods be labeled.

Africa

In Africa, both Algeria and Egypt have laws restricting GMO foods. In Algeria, both the planting and distribution of GMO foods is illegal, while in Egypt, GMO foods must be approved before they can be distributed.

Asia

In Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Japan and the Philippines all have laws limiting GMO foods. Both Sri Lanka and Thailand had bans on imported GMOs as early as 2001, while the rest of the countries have had more recent bans.

Europe

In Europe, Norway, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Luxembourg and Portugal have put in place GMO restrictions. France made an important step in the no-GMO movement by specifically defining exactly what "GMO-free" means when it comes to food labeling. Ireland has banned all growing and cultivating of GMO foods and the European Union -- a governing coalition of European countries -- has considered a Europe-wide banning of GMO foods.

The Middle East

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has banned the growing of GMO foods and the importing of GMO wheat.

The Americas

While the United States still largely allows for the growth and import of GMO foods and does not demand food labeling, South American countries such as Brazil and Paraguay have restrictions on GMO foods.

References

• PureZing: Genetically Modified Foods
• TreeHugger: GMO Bans, Laws, and Labels from Around the World
• Third World Network: Third World Network Information Service on Biosafety