For food and feed producers operating globally, staying compliant with each country’s unique import and export rules is essential to avoid costly delays, rejections, or recalls. From labeling thresholds to outright bans, GMO requirements vary widely across markets. The key to success? Knowing the specific regulations of your destination country and partnering with an approved, trusted testing lab. With the right strategy and support, you can ensure your product moves smoothly across borders—and lands exactly where it needs to be.
Select the country below to learn about special considerations GMO testing for exports in that region.
New Zealand
The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act of 1996 states that it is prohibited to import genetically modified seeds for sowing and nursery stock into New Zealand without approval1. Importers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the goods comply with the HSNO Act and the requirements of the Import Health Standard (IHS) (section 16B of the Act). Non-compliance with the IHS may result in clearance not being given, and the goods may be reshipped or destroyed.
Species that require GMO testing:
- Zea mays (sweet corn and maize)
- Glycine max (soybean)
- Brassica napus var. oleifera (oilseed rape/canola)
- Medicago sativa (lucerne/alfalfa)
- Gossypium hirsutum (cotton)
Species with the option of GMO testing or providing a non-GM declaration:
- Cucurbita pepo (squash)
- Linum usitatissimum (flaxseed/linseed)
- Petunia spp.
Eurofins GeneScan of Eurofins Analytical Laboratories, Inc. is the only North American GMO testing lab approved by New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Japan
Eurofins GeneScan of Eurofins Analytical Laboratories, Inc. is the exclusive licensee in North America of FASMAC Co., Ltd to run the Japanese Standard Methods for genetically engineered crops in food and feed. This series of analytical methods was developed by FASMAC in cooperation with a consortium of Japanese food companies, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF). These are the methods used by Japanese governmental agencies to regulate genetically engineered food and feed in the Japanese marketplace.
The goal of FASMAC, and its colleagues in Japan, is to have a partner in the US that provides testing in a manner identical to testing that would be performed by a regulatory body in Japan. Thus, companies sending finished food products, ingredients, or agricultural commodities to Japan from the US can have access to pre-shipment testing that can significantly minimize the risk of noncompliance with Japanese regulations related to genetically engineered food products.
FASMAC is the leading laboratory in Japan for this kind of testing, as well as a producer of high purity oligonucleotides and provider of other molecular biology-based services. Along with Eurofins GeneScan, this combination provides the highest quality of analytical support needed by companies shipping food products to the Japanese market.
South Korea
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has designated Eurofins GeneScan as a Foreign Testing Laboratory for GMO testing of food products for export from the United States to Korea. The designation allows for agricultural products, processed foods, food additives and ingredients to bypass GMO inspection at the border by presenting Eurofins GeneScan’s report of analysis.
Eurofins GeneScan’s special designation fast-tracks inspections for food products at the destination port. At the time of import declaration, a laboratory test certificate for imported food can be presented, in many cases exempting the importer from additional laboratory testing in Korea.
Taiwan
On February 4, 2015, Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) released draft regulations introducing new labeling requirements for food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
As of June 1, 2015, all unpackaged food, pre-packaged food, and food additives made from or containing GMOs in proportions greater than 3% by weight must be labeled. Furthermore, any product that intentionally uses GMO material, regardless of quantity, requires labeling. The regulation specifically highlights the labeling of imported products containing soybeans and derivatives such as soybean powder, soy lecithin, oils, soy milk, tofu, bean curd, dried tofu, dried curd skin, and other vegetarian meat products made with soy protein.
Eurofins GeneScan offers a broad spectrum of different methods for GMO screening, GMO identification, and GMO quantification. The experts at our GMO competence center support customers with custom-tailored analysis strategies, which allow producers to ensure the quality of their products – from seed to raw material up until the final product.
Turkey
Recently, Turkey has introduced regulations regarding Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) content in agricultural products, processed foods, food additives and ingredients. These regulations stipulate that imported food or feed ingredients containing more than 0.9% GMO materials must be labeled accordingly. The Ministry of Agriculture makes the final approval.2
Eurofins GeneScan offers a broad spectrum of different methods for GMO screening, GMO identification, and GMO quantification. The experts at our GMO competence center support customers with custom-tailored analysis strategies, which allow producers to ensure the quality of their products – from seed to raw material up until the final product.
European Union
Aside from the approval of genetically modified organisms, the labelling of GMO content above a certain threshold is regulated differently by country. In the EU, for example, adventitious and technically unavoidable contamination with approved GMOs up to 0.9% is exempted from labelling. GMO portions in food and feed above a threshold of 0.9% must be labelled according to the EU Regulation (EC) No. 1830/20033. With the help of quantitative GMO detection, it can be determined whether the GMO content of a product lies above or below the legal limit.
In feed, non-approved GMOs are tolerated up to a threshold of 0.1% if they fulfill certain requirements set out by the EU Regulation (EC) No. 619/2011. For questions such as these, quantitative analyses are the method of choice for the verification of marketability and labelling requirements.
Eurofins GeneScan offers a broad spectrum of different methods for GMO screening, GMO identification, and GMO quantification. The experts at our GMO competence center support customers with custom-tailored analysis strategies, which allow producers to ensure the quality of their products – from seed to raw material up until the final product.
Conclusion
As global demand for transparency and traceability in the food supply grows, so too do the complexities of exporting GMO-containing products. Each country has its own set of requirements, from strict labeling rules to zero-tolerance policies, and failing to meet them can result in delays, rejections, or costly recalls. Staying compliant means more than just understanding the regulations—it requires a trusted testing partner with international recognition and scientific expertise.
Eurofins GeneScan is uniquely positioned to help exporters navigate this evolving global landscape. With specialized approvals in key markets like Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and the EU, and access to validated methods tailored to each destination’s regulatory framework, Eurofins provides the precision and reliability needed to move products with confidence. Whether you are shipping raw ingredients or finished foods, choosing the right testing partner is the key to smooth, successful exports in today’s tightly regulated GMO environment.
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