Biochemist Herbert Boyer and geneticist Stanley Cohen combine the first successful recombinant DNA organism, an E. coli bacterial cell that expressed the gene for frog ribosomal DNA

Monsanto patents Roundup herbicide.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the first genetically engineered drug Humulin, a form of human insulin produced by recombinant E. coli bacteria. Prior to the development of synthesized human insulin, patients were dependent on animal insulin, which was more costly, less accessible, and sometimes caused infection. Humulin is identical in chemical structure to human insulin.

The first transgenic plant, a tobacco plant resistant to antibiotics, is created at Washington University in Missouri.

The first field tests of genetically engineered (tobacco) plants are conducted in Belgium.

The first field tests of genetically engineered (tobacco and tomato) crops are conducted in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approves the Flavr Savr tomato, intended to be resistant to softening and consequent rotting, as the first genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption. Production ceased in 1997 due to poor crop turnaround and mounting costs.

The FDA declares that genetically engineered foods are “not inherently dangerous” and do not require special safety testing or specific regulation, because they are alike and more aligned with the category of “whole foods”, which the FDA does not oversee, rather than “food products.”

The European Union’s first genetically engineered crop, tobacco, is approved for use in France.

FlavrSavr tomatoes are taken off the market due to increased competition from longer-lasting, conventional varieties.

Requirements for labeling of novel foods and ingredients, those that have not been used for human consumption to a significant degree in the EU are outlined. The labels are required to include characteristics, materials which may affect the health of some individuals and materials that give rise to ethical concerns.

After the delivery of unlabelled Genetically Engineered soybeans from the US to European ports, Greenpeace-led activists protest in front of multinational food companies across Europe. As media attention intensifies, Austria and Italy refuse GMO imports and France suspends all GMO imports until regulatory legislation can be reviewed.  

The FDA Modernization Act is signed into law and streamlines the FDA’s procedures relating to the regulation of food, drugs, devices and biological products. Critics fear the legislation will encourage more crop deregulation.  

Monsanto introduces Roundup Ready corn and canola which are promised to increase  crop yields over conventional varieties. Twenty years later, studies show this not to be the case.

Mounting environmental and health concerns surrounding GM crops in Europe leads big food manufacturers to commit to removing all Genetically Modified ingredients in EU products. Major food chains in England including Sainsbury, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Burger King and McDonalds also announce their intention to avoid all GM ingredients.

The EU adopts regulation that even additives and flavoring must be specifically labeled if DNA or protein of GMO origin is present in the final product.

Several countries pass laws requiring GM food labels: Australia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and Russia pass laws requiring labels for GM foods.

The FDA announces that the labeling of GM foods would remain voluntary, but also publishes guidelines for companies that wished to label their products as free of GM products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also promises to develop standardized tests for GM foods.

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan follow suit and also pass laws requiring special labels for GM foods.

GloFish, a GM fluorescent fish first developed in 1999, is introduce to the U.S. market after being available in Taiwan earlier in 2003. Since their introduction, there have been no reports of any ecological concerns associated with their sale, though they are illegal in California due to a regulation that bans all genetically modified fish. They are also banned in Canada and within the EU.

Greenpeace praises the Eu for adopting the world’s strictest and most comprehensive rules on GMOs. The new system requires that all GE ingredients – from consumer products to animal feed – be traced and labeled.  

Mendocino County in California is the first jurisdiction to ban the cultivation, production and distribution of GMOs in the US. Today, 14 states including California have proposals to require the labeling to GM foods.

1 Oct 1998 - 1 Feb 2004

The EU imposes an unofficial ban on GMO-based products, refusing to engage in experimental or commercial growth of new gene crops and to import GM food products. The World Trade Organization is currently due to rule if this unofficial ban restricted trade.

The FDA receives an application for the first genetically modified animal for human consumption. The AquAdvantage Salmon, created by AquaBounty Technologies, has a gene from the ocean pout and a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon, which allows it to “reach market size twice as fast as a traditional salmon”. The FDA determines more research is necessary to assess the safety of genetically engineered animals intended for human consumption.