HB4 Wheat Is Coming: The GMO Crop That Could Contaminate Your Bread with a Banned Herbicide

Have you heard of HB4 wheat yet? You will be hearing a lot more in the near future, and it could impact your health and American farmers. HB4 wheat is a genetically modified, drought- and herbicide-tolerant version of wheat first developed in Argentina around 2004 by Bioceres Crop Solutions. This GMO wheat incorporates a specific sunflower gene (HaHB4) that helps the plant delay deterioration under water stress and maintain biomass until normal moisture conditions return. In addition to drought tolerance, HB4 wheat contains the bar gene, which confers resistance to the herbicide glufosinate. Glufosinate, a highly hazardous herbicide, is banned in the European Union due to unacceptable risks to reproduction.

HB4 wheat is approved for cultivation in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and for food/feed consumption in multiple other countries, notes the North Dakota Wheat Commission. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) deregulated the HB4 trait for wheat cultivation in 2024, but widespread commercial planting is still in the testing and breeding stages, according to U.S. Wheat Associates. (HB4 soy has been cultivated in the US since 2019, says CGTN America.)

Friends of the Earth calls the introduction of HB4 wheat a “repetition of a well-documented failure — the chemical-dependent model introduced with Monsanto’s ‘Roundup Ready’ crops in the 1990s. GMO crops have driven massive increases in herbicide use, spawned herbicide-resistant superweeds, and trapped farmers on a costly pesticide treadmill. Glufosinate-tolerant corn and soy are already following the same path. HB4 wheat would extend this failed, toxic system to a global staple food — deepening chemical dependence, increasing costs for farmers, and compounding environmental damage.”

Glufosinate-ammonium (GA) shows potential reproductive toxicity in biological studies, including effects on sperm mitochondria and male fertility, as well as epigenetic (environmental) changes in gene function. In the European Union, Glufosinate-ammonium is classified for presumed human reproductive toxicity, according to BASF, one of the world’s major manufacturers of the herbicide. In addition, unlike glyphosate (Roundup), glufosinate can be sprayed directly on the wheat, making it potentially much more toxic.

American exports could also take a hit. “GMO wheat poses major trade and economic risks for farmers,” says the Friends of the Earth report. “Wheat is the third most widely grown crop in the United States, with roughly 44% exported each year, representing billions of dollars in farm income. GMO wheat has failed commercialization in the US multiple times due to serious trade concerns. Major trading partners — including Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines — do not accept GMO wheat. Even limited commercialization of HB4 could trigger trade disruptions or contamination of non-GMO wheat supplies, echoing past incidents that cost U.S. farmers millions of dollars. Even farmers who don’t plant HB4 could suffer, as genetic contamination and supply-chain mixing could jeopardize all US wheat exports. Meanwhile, GMO seeds undermine farmers’ economic sovereignty by locking them into restrictive contracts with powerful seed and chemical corporations.”

The report documents evidence that glufosinate harms soil organisms, pollinators, and aquatic life, threatening biodiversity and long-term farm resilience. The chemical is also highly mobile, increasing the risk of soil and water pollution.

The report concludes that introducing GMO wheat would accelerate chemical-intensive industrial agriculture, deepen corporate control over seeds, and expose farmers and consumers to unnecessary risks. Instead, it calls for comprehensive reform of U.S. GMO regulations grounded in the precautionary principle and investment in agroecology, including the expansion of organic agriculture. GMOs, along with more than 900 synthetic pesticides, including glufosinate, are prohibited in organic farming.

Citizens have the agency to fight HB4 wheat from being introduced into the US food supply. Purchasing organic grain products ensures that brands are utilizing traditional, identity-preserved wheat sourcing. Also, seek GMO-certified foods by the Non-GMO Project. These may not be organic, but will be GMO-free.