Non-GMO Soy Summit: Strong commitment to securing a GMO-free supply chain
- BiO ReporterIn
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
On 4 November 2025, experts from around 20 countries – mainly from Europe, but also from Brazil and Canada – met in Frankfurt for the Non-GMO Soy Summit 2025. The event, organised by Donau Soja and Pro Terra Foundation, focused on the exchange of information about market developments, new regulations and current strategies for strengthening GMO-free and sustainable value chains. Achievements of the sustainability efforts are obviously as the enornous CO2 reduction up to 82%! and the huge potential for soy production with the vision to reach 50% proteine self sufficiency in Europe till 2035 are discussed.
High demand for soy and transparency
There is high demand for GMO-free feed in Europe. The German market for GMO-free food products bearing the VLOG (Association for GMO-Free Food) seal alone has been growing for years and recorded sales of €17.1 billion in 2024. A recent survey also confirms the high level of awareness of the VLOG label, with more than 70% of conventionally produced milk carrying the green VLOG seal. Every second consumer in Germany is familiar with the seal, as VLOG Managing Director Alexander Hissting (picture left) explained at the conference.
(photo: Karin Heinze
Reliable partners with high standards
Emese Van Maanen, Managing Director of ProTerra, explained before the conference started: "The most important message today will be that we are continuing our work despite all global crises and despite the lack of planning security due to regulatory conditions. We, the ProTerra Foundation, Donau Soja and the associations VLOG, ENGA (European Non-GMO Association) and Arge Gentechnikfrei (Austria), see it as our task to provide our member companies with the best possible support in order to produce sustainable, deforestation-free and GMO-free soy, make it available to the markets and meet the growing demand."
European vision for protein self sufficiency
Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, emphasised in his opening speech that Ukraine is a reliable, sustainable and geographically close partner for supplying deforestation-free, non-GM soy to Europe — contributing to a joint European protein platform that supports farmers and strengthens market resilience. Susanne Fromwald ( Donau Soja) emphasised the achieved success with a reached CO2 reduction up to 82%! And she also highlighted the target and vision to reach 50% proteine self sufficiency in Europe till 2035. There is a huge potential for soy farming especially in the Ukraine, also in Germany (up to 2mn tons).
Despite the fact that a number of important issues remain unresolved, the next meeting of the preparatory group for the deregulation of GMOs/ NGTs in Brussels is scheduled for 11 November, with the trilogue set for 13 November. The Danish Presidency is doing everything in its power to conclude this sensitive issue by the end of the year and the handover of the Presidency to Cyprus. This although even the vast majority of Danes oppose the deregulation and ask for transparent labeling and the freedom of choice.
At the end of the conference Hissting explained: „Sustainability – it’ s team work and please see this conference as team building event to become even better in working together, securing GMO free production and products. I hope we´ll see again at the Non-GMO Summit in May 2026 where we will focus on remaining and securing Non-GMO products under a changing regulatory framework and the progress in detection methods.
There was enough space in the breaks for valuable exchange, networking and discussions. (Photo: Karin Heinze)
Text and photos: Karin Heinze, BiO Reporter International
Comments