China was the country which first began growing large areas of GMOs for consumption, but by 1996 the USA had also approved use of herbicide-tolerant (e.g. to Roundup herbicide) and disease resistant soybeans and maize. The Monsanto Corporation has been accused of not listening to the groups that would be responsible for marketing their "Roundup Ready" soybean, as they shipped tons of these beans to soy processors in Europe. Protesters around Europe in 1996 nearly led to a trade war nearly began between USA and Europe. The issue was whether the so-called "Roundup Ready" could be, and should be, segregated from other beans. Earlier in 1996, European retail and wholesale groups had asked for separate streams for the Roundup Ready. Retailers in France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom wanted segregation so that they could label the products appropriately. German, Austrian, Finnish, and Swedish retailers wanted a separate stream so that they could exclude genetically manipulated food either "for the foreseeable future" or "until consumers are happy." Their Norwegian and Swiss counterparts cannot import until it has been approved for import due to specific laws.

It was estimated that 1-2% of soybeans in the USA in 1996, the major world producer, were modified, and in 1997 10% will be. Monsanto argued that thousands of different processed food products have soybeans as an ingredient, and that the products are distinguishable only in insignificant details. The regulators and most retailers agree. However, labels are being introduced in Europe as a result of public pressure by activist groups and the fear of not being in "gcontrol" of the food eaten. Some supermarkets in the UK and Japan are also labeling soybean products that a guarantied not to be made from GMOs. Together with the soybeans, Ciba-Geigy's glufosinate-tolerant (herbicide) Bacillus thuriengensis insecticidal toxin gene (insect resistance) - containing maize is now sold in Europe, and will be sold around the world as most processed foods contain soybean or corn. It will be difficult to label so many different food products as having potentially some extract from the 10% of the crops which are made from GMOs. Numerous other companies are introducing crops, and most seed producers offer the choice of seeds from GMOs. Thailand has approved some field trials of GMOs from European and US companies for GMOs, and the technology can also be easily copied, so that we can expect widespread use of products around Asia.

The approval of a modified tomato which has delayed ripening for general growth in the USA was given in 1993, and it was sold since 1994 for general commercial food consumption in the USA, and later in Europe, and around the world. These survey data suggest it would be generally supported around the world. However, in 1995 and 1996 the economic success of this tomato was not so great, due to problems with disease resistance and collection [16], and it was not the huge success it was expected to be. There are also groups which oppose the food from GMOs, and restaurants which claim they do not buy such foods.