Govind Tekale
People who want to know how their food was produced may be asking a simple question: will gene-edited crops now be sold in England without any way to identify them? The answer needs a careful distinction. England’s new rules cover a legally defined category called “precision bred” plants. They do not make all genetically modified food exempt from the UK’s GMO rules.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 created the precision-bred category for organisms whose genetic changes could have occurred naturally or through traditional breeding. The 2025 regulations brought rules for precision-bred plants in England into effect. That is narrower than the claim that genetically modified crops generally can now be grown without labelling.
For shoppers, the practical issue is transparency. Before a precision-bred food or feed product can be placed on the market in England, it must be authorised. The Food Standards Agency says authorised products are listed on its public register. The system is based on authorisation and a register, rather than a general requirement in these rules for a retail package to carry a “gene edited” label.
What the law covers — and what it does not
The law applies to England. It does not itself set the rules for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. It also does not remove the separate legal framework for genetically modified organisms. A plant must meet the Act’s precision-bred test to use this route; it is not enough simply to call a crop gene edited.
The distinction matters because “gene editing” is used broadly in public debate. Under the Act, a precision-bred organism must not contain foreign genetic material, except in limited circumstances set out in the legislation, and its traits must be capable of resulting from natural processes or traditional breeding. The government’s application guidance describes the information developers must provide when seeking a precision-bred status decision.
Organic producers and consumers may still want fuller supply-chain information than a public register provides. That is a policy argument about traceability and choice. It should not be confused with a finding that all GM crops are now unlabelled or that the new rules dispense with food-safety review.
The FSA says it is responsible for assessing whether regulated foods and feeds are safe before sale. Its authorisation process is therefore separate from the question of whether shoppers see a claim on a packet. Readers can also look to the government’s precision-breeding register notices and decisions to see the official record of release and marketing notices.
Are precision-bred foods the same as all GM foods? No. The legal category is limited to organisms that meet the 2023 Act’s definition. The new England regime regulates precision-bred organisms; it does not reclassify every genetically modified crop as precision bred.
The argument over labels is likely to continue as products move through the authorisation system. For now, the most accurate description is that England has a new regulated route for qualifying precision-bred plants, with public records and food-and-feed authorisation. It is not a blanket removal of GMO labelling.
