These 72 Popular Products Contain Bioengineered Ingredients — What You Need to Know
If you’ve picked up a processed food product lately, you may have noticed a small but ominous label: “Contains bioengineered ingredients.”
This isn’t just a required note. It’s a consumer warning – and it’s more serious than you might realize.
(Scroll down to the bottom of the article if you prefer to watch a video of this article.)
What Does “Bioengineered” Mean?
Bioengineering goes a step beyond traditional GMOs (genetically modified organisms).
It involves altering the molecular structure of food – splicing genes in ways nature never intended – to produce food-like substances that are designed in labs, not grown in fields.
The result? Artificial flavors, additives, and synthetic components that may not be properly tested or regulated for long-term safety.
Unlike GMOs, which have at least been debated in public forums for decades, bioengineered foods are fast-tracked into your pantry without much transparency or consumer awareness.
Some bioengineered food additives have already been proven to be dangerous and have been flagged. That’s why there’s the required warning label.
What Impact Do Bioengineered Foods Have on Health?
We won’t know until 20 years of usage and data are available what kind of negative effects these products will have on human health.
But we do know that these ingredients are not properly tested for safety, and based on how GMOs have gone, I am concerned about an even greater rise in:
- Autoimmune diseases
- Neurological conditions
- Mood disorders
- Certain cancers
It’s deeply concerning that food corporations can experiment with these ingredients on such a massive scale – with you and your family as the test subjects.
So, What Can You Do?
The good news is: You don’t have to wait for 20 years of “data” to make better choices now.
One simple solution is to avoid highly processed foods – especially those in boxes, bags, and fast food windows. Instead, we need to get back to making our own food.
That might sound like a sacrifice. But what you’re giving up in convenience, you’re gaining peace of mind, energy, and long-term health.
72 Popular Foods That Contain Bioengineered Ingredients
Here’s a list of well-known products that currently carry the “bioengineered” label.
Cereals
- General Mills: Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Chex
- Post: Oreo O’s
- Kellogg’s: Crispix, Rice Krispies Treats, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Raisin Bran
Cookies & Crackers
- Oreos, Chips Ahoy
- Pop Tarts
- Nature Valley granola bars
- Ritz Crackers, Cheez-It, Goldfish
- Snyder’s pretzels, Doritos, Tostitos, Kroger chips
- Honey Maid Graham Crackers, Little Debbie Nutty Buddies, TastyKake Honeybuns
Frozen Foods
- Hot Pockets
- Red Baron frozen pizza
- Lean Cuisine
- Mrs. T’s Pierogies
- Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits
Dairy Products
- Coffee Mate creamer
- Dannon Greek yogurt
- Blue Bell ice cream
- Publix Cookies & Cream ice cream
Condiments
- Hellmann’s mayonnaise
- Hidden Valley Ranch
- Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo sauce
- Prego plant-based spaghetti sauce
- Great Value ranch seasoning
Soups
- Campbell’s: Chicken Noodle, Tomato, Ham & Bean, Beef Gravy
- Spaghetti-O’s
Candy
- M&M’s
- Snickers
- Skittles
- Jolly Rancher Stix
This is just a sampling of the complete list.
Ready to Reclaim Your Health?
I highly recommend foregoing some convenience and getting your health back by making your own food again.
It’s time to be intentional about what goes into your body – and your children’s.
That’s why I created the 12 Steps to Whole Foods course: A proven roadmap with recipes, habits, and tools that helped my family heal from chronic illness after years on the standard American diet.
You’ll learn exactly what I did to restore our health – and how to make clean eating sustainable and delicious.
Watch the free masterclass and learn how to regain control of your health, starting with your next meal.
None of the products above are in my pantry, and I can say: I’m in my 50s, and I feel fantastic! You can feel this way, too. Let’s take the first step, together.
Read Next: If You Want to Get Well and Be Truly Healthy, You Need to Know This
Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe. Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support the GSG mission without costing you extra. I recommend only companies and products that I use myself.
Image Notes
- General Mills image used under a CC BY 4.0 license
Posted in: Health Concerns, Preventive Care
Thank you so much for this list! I’ll share this article on Facebook and in my blog. My husband and I started seeing this designation on some labels (canned beans and bread we like; B&M is the brand), and we had no idea what it meant! I just told him I would research it and limit how often we have those. Mostly we have those foods on holdays, and only just this past year since moving to New England.
Chicken and wild rice do not, everything else does.
Progresso soups contain them also
Thank you so much , Robyn for this update on potential franken-foods. I am new to the gluten sensitivity food arena and was so happy to have found gluten-free Cheerios. (Takes me back to my childhood.) When I read the label I seem to have skipped right over that bit of info, so focused on the ingredients. I seem to be craving that cereal more and more lately. I bet there's something to that. I am purging my pantry for sure, now that I know something nefarious could be going on. I wonder if JFK, Jr. knows about this slight of hand trick. Hmm.
How can we know if restaurants and fast food places are using bioengineered ingredients and foods. I just saw that Nestles Toll House chocolate chips also have the bioengineered warning.
I’m sorry I also posted this comment on the wrong article.
Hi Rose, Thanks for checking out Robyn's article! Your best bet is to ask the restaurants you frequent. You can start with the server but may need to speak with the manager depending on how familiar the staff is with their ingredient sourcing. You can also try communicating with the corporate office as well.
Wow, Robyn! Looks like I'm going to have to get your book!
Thank you for publishing this partial list. I came to your website after seeing "CONTAINS A BIOENGINEERED FOOD INGREDIENT" on the ingredients panel of a friend's Nutty Buddy Bars. I decided not to try it. It irked me that, even using AI, I couldn't find out *which* ingredient it was. It's the soy, one of the most bioengineered foods in America. Bummer news for my vegan friends. In any case I didn't realize so many foods have it, especially junk foods. Note: 98% of prepared salad dressings contain soy oil, so I make my own.
I thought I'd check you out before I dove into a government website like
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/11/29/2023-26059/national-bioengineered-food-disclosure-standard-list-of-bioengineered-foods
this. I thought, since the GMO & Bio… foods started that sugarcane (If I'm going to eat something sweet besides fruit) would be safe but bioengineered to be insect resistant sugarcane exists here as well. What next? Many thanks!
We need to get these bioengineered /GMO foods out of our food chain once and for all. You don't find these in Europe. Since Washington won't do it WE need to do it for ourselves, our children and our pets! Start by boycotting the farmers who grow this stuff and food companies who produce the products. If they have 1 bio/GMO don't buy anything they sell. Then bombard Washington. This stuff is making us sick.
They are trying to kill us all. I can’t imagine why you would add bioengineered ingredients in anything and risk public health. I try and read all the labels before I buy them.
I've been eating this food added for years. If what they say is true, I should been dead a long ago.