More than 23,000 consumers have signed a petition imploring General Mills and other major food companies to publicly commit to excluding a recently approved strain of GMO wheat from their products. The strain, called HB4, has been engineered to withstand glufosinate ammonium, an herbicide that has been linked to behavioral abnormalities1 and reproductive concerns2.
What Is HB4, and How Did It Come About?
HB4 was first engineered by a team in Argentina in 2004 with a two-fold goal: drought tolerance and resistance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium. The new wheat strain was approved for use in food and feed in the United States in 2022, then approved for cultivation in 2024. Despite this approval, HB4 is not yet being cultivated in the United States, nor is it currently being used in any products available to American consumers. HB4 is not approved in Europe, where the use of glufosinate is banned.
The herbicide glufosinate is largely seen as less toxic than glyphosate. The latter is ubiquitous in the conventional food supply, stemming in large part from the widespread use of Roundup Ready seeds. These seeds are genetically engineered to resist application of Roundup, a glyphosate-based weedkiller formerly produced by Monsanto (acquired by Bayer in 2018). Glufosinate is nevertheless highly toxic in acute doses and has been linked not only to potential human health hazards, but also to concerning potential impacts on freshwater ecosystems3.
Wheat has long been one of the crops liable to pesticide contamination, and it poses a threat to consumers by way of a wide number of products — think bread, pasta, and cereal. EWG previously found Monsanto’s Roundup in 43 of 45 tested breakfast products, many of which are marketed to children. This petition would aim to prevent a future in which we see similar results regarding the presence of glufosinate.
What Does the Petition Entail?
The petition was organized by Friends of the Earth U.S., Beyond Pesticides, and allied organizations. It asks General Mills and other leading food companies to publicly commit to excluding the HB4 wheat strain from their products.
“The thousands of consumers who signed this petition aren’t just asking companies to reject GMO wheat — they’re asking brands to uphold higher standards for food safety, environmental stewardship, and transparency,” says Dana Perls, senior program manager at Friends of the Earth.
The Use of HB4 Would Oppose General Mills’ Environmental Goals
The news comes just days after General Mills unveiled a new commitment to expand regenerative farming practices across 40,000 acres of wheat in the Midwest. A report released by Friends of the Earth earlier this year shows that introducing this new wheat strain into its products would run counter to the company’s stated environmental goals4.
“General Mills has built its reputation on household brands that families trust,” says Sarah Starman, senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth. “Publicly rejecting herbicide-tolerant GMO wheat would demonstrate that the company is responding to growing consumer concerns about chemical exposure in the food supply.”
Sources:
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389420301400
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16510221/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12300074/
- https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Ffoe.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F11%2FGMO_Wheat_Brief_Final-v2.pdf/2/0100019f8a3ea530-142ecbc3-387e-4519-9f96-4deaac69687f-000000/06TmOrobGl_qL7aWgHGfIDUABnM=473
