In Germany alone, genetic engineering is carried out every day in almost 7,000 laboratories, working with viruses, bacteria, plants and animals; in addition, there are thousands of laboratories and testing agencies that use genetic engineering for diagnostic and analytical purposes. Genetic engineering is part of everyday life for hundreds of thousands of employees.

These people experience an affront every day: when they go to the supermarket, they are confronted with green ‘no genetic engineering’ stickers on milk cartons, yoghurts, eggs, meat, pasta and hundreds of other everyday products – as if genetic engineering were harmful and dangerous and what they do were highly questionable.

If you ask customers or even the store manager what the ‘no genetic engineering’ label means, most people don't know. ‘There are no genes in it’ or ‘The cows/chickens/eggs are not genetically modified’ are the standard answers. But everyone agrees: ‘It's probably healthier or better, otherwise it wouldn't be on the label.’ Scepticism about genetic engineering is deeply rooted.

This is hardly surprising, given that the public has been bombarded for decades with words such as ‘genetically contaminated’, ‘genetically modified’, ‘genetically engineered soya’ and ‘Frankenstein corn’, and hardly any article on genetic engineering is published without the ‘biohazard’ warning symbol and photos showing monster corn cobs or activists in protective suits standing in front of fields of grain.

Genetic engineering is part of everyday life

This has little to do with reality. Genetic engineering is as much a part of industry and trade as it is of research laboratories and normal households.

Let's take a look at the life of the fictional Müller family: Genetic engineering is already present in the bathroom in the morning when the father, mother and children go to the bathroom, shower and brush their teeth.

Numerous cosmetic products – shower gels, bath additives, liquid soaps, moisturisers, etc. – contain basic ingredients that have been produced using genetically modified microorganisms: lauric acid, glycerine, starch and vitamins that are supposed to keep the skin moist, rejuvenate it or protect it from damage. Even toilet paper has been produced using genetic engineering: enzymes from genetically modified bacteria bleach the paper without the use of chlorine, break down the resin in the wood or, in the case of recycled paper, break down the printing ink in the waste paper.

The list continues with clothing. The weather is a little cool, so my daughter decides to wear her new stonewashed jeans and her favourite cotton jumper. Both contain genetic engineering, even if the cotton was not spun from genetically modified plants: The bleaching effect of the jeans, which used to be achieved with stones and lots of water (600 grams of stone abrasion per pair of trousers!), is now done gently with genetically engineered enzymes. This reduces environmental costs by more than 50 per cent and almost eliminates pollutants.

The jumper, whose fabric came into contact with genetically modified enzymes during production (during desizing), was washed with detergents that, thanks to genetically engineered enzymes, reliably remove stains even without stain removers and at low temperatures. Genetic engineering in detergents saves an estimated 87 billion litres and 7.6 billion kWh of energy per year in Germany alone. What's more, the enzymes smooth the fibres and prevent pilling. This means that your favourite jumper stays looking good for longer and can be worn for longer. Even your father's leather jacket has been genetically engineered to make tanning easier and the leather softer. Genetically engineered enzymes such as proteases and lipases remove hair and tissue residues. They thus reduce the use of aggressive chemicals and the amount of water needed for rinsing and cleaning.

Genetic engineering is also part of everyday life at breakfast: bread, cheese, sausage, vegan spreads, fruit juices, etc. have long been in contact with it. Bread and roll dough is made more kneadable and airy with cysteine – this amino acid used to be produced from hair, feathers or bristles, but today it comes from stainless steel tanks in which genetically engineered microorganisms produce it. Such microbes also produce the rennet used in cheese production – in the past, this had to be obtained from calf stomachs at slaughterhouses. Genetically engineered enzymes make sausage tender and clarify fruit juice. Incidentally, there is a high probability that the animals used to make sausage have eaten feed from plants whose properties have been modified using genetic engineering during their lifetime.

However, genetically engineered substances are also found in the vegan products that his daughter prefers: enzymes, flavourings, vitamins, emulsifiers, casein, haem and ovalbumin are produced by genetically modified bacteria and yeasts.

The diet milk that her lactose-intolerant brother drinks has been made lactose-free using genetically engineered enzymes. And the sweetener used by her grandfather, who treats his diabetes with insulin from genetically modified bacteria, consists of genetically engineered amino acids.

Of the approximately 400 enzymes approved for use in the food industry in the EU, just under half are currently produced by genetically modified microorganisms. Sales of genetically engineered enzymes in Europe amount to approximately 460-640 million euros.

Cars and transport

Genetic engineering also accompanies the family on their way to work and school. The bioethanol in petrol and the biodiesel in buses cannot be produced without genetically engineered enzymes that break down straw and wood waste. Even if the bioethanol comes from energy crops such as maize or sugar beet, such enzymes are still involved.

Even the electric car that the family plans to buy soon cannot do without genetically engineered enzymes and components: copper, lithium, cobalt and nickel are purified with biosynthetic surfactants or microbial chelators, interior trim, fittings and insulation materials are made from genetically engineered bioplastics, and the lubricants contain genetically engineered additives. Even in battery production, genetically engineered enzymes or chemicals are used in cleaning and coating processes.

Lack of transparency

None of these products are subject to labelling requirements because they no longer contain any traces of the organisms used. Milk, meat and eggs from animals that have been fed genetically engineered corn or soy plants do not have to be labelled either, because neither the milk, eggs nor meat contain any traces of these plants.

The label ‘GMO-free’ therefore has no meaning whatsoever, because even in products that have come into contact with genetic engineering during production, no traces of it can be detected, even with the most sophisticated analysis.

What's more, the animals from which the milk, yoghurt, eggs or meat labelled ‘GMO-free’ originate may well have been fed feed containing GMOs. The only requirement is a waiting period during which the feed must be ‘GMO-free’. Depending on the animal species and use (milk, eggs, meat), this period can be several weeks or months. During this time, the animals must be fed conventional feed.

Other products labelled ‘GMO-free’ may also contain genetic engineering. The organisation that awards the label exploits a loophole in the law: The EU's strict genetic engineering law only applies to new genetic engineering, not to old genetic engineering, where genes are modified or rearranged using radioactive radiation or chemicals. The old genetic engineering is – as confirmed by the highest court – legally just as much genetic engineering as the newer methods, but it is exempt from all obligations such as labelling, traceability, etc. Paradoxically, the new, precise and targeted genetic engineering, where the changes are known, is considered risky.

Old and new genetic engineering

The problem behind this is that this type of genetic engineering had already been around for a long time when the law was passed. In the decades before, it had been used to produce so many varieties of fruit, vegetables and cereals that it is impossible to keep track of them all.

The exemptions were justified on the grounds that old, non-targeted genetic engineering had been used for decades without any discernible problems. It was therefore declared safe and harmless without further ado, even though no one knows which thousands or even tens of thousands of genes have been modified using these methods, where and how.

It is known, for example, that all hop varieties and almost all durum wheat varieties have been produced using this type of genetic engineering. Strictly speaking, therefore, there is no such thing as ‘GMO-free’ beer or ‘GMO-free’ pasta; instead, the label should say ‘free from new genetic engineering’.

Even in organic shops, there are lots of products that could only be produced with the help of genetic engineering. And anyone who pays with a banknote is holding genetic engineering in their hand: banknotes contain cotton that comes from genetically modified plants.