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Lobby groups in New Zealand are calling for tighter controls and even a ban on genetically engineered foods.
The call follows Canadian research that raises concern about the effect of GE food on unborn babies.
A study from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec claims to have discovered pesticides associated to genetically modified foods circulating in the blood of pregnant women and foetuses.
The effects of the chemicals on unborn babies is not known, and the report recommends further research into this area.
"Given the potential toxicity of these environmental pollutants and the fragility of the foetus, more studies are needed", the report says.
The findings prompted the Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility New Zealand Charitable Trust to call on the Government to rethink regulation of genetically engineered food, and set up an independent body to oversee imports of genetically engineered products.
It claims, in an open letter sent to the Government, that recent decisions in relation to genetic engineering have been "dictated by vested interests", and have not taken into account the potential risks to health and the environment.
"It has become obvious that a blinkered approach to genetic engineering biotechnology, and the commercial imperatives driving it, mean that the generally acknowledged risks are not being properly addressed and that this is only the tip of an iceberg," it says.
The concern is matched by the Soil and Health Association of New Zealand which is calling for GE foods to be removed from sale.
It says the toxins identified in the Canadian research are currently found in foods in New Zealand, and are engineered into several common crops like maize, soy, potato and cotton.
Soil & Health Organic spokesperson Steffan Browning said the government needs to take firm action to protect people's health.
"Foods from GE insect and herbicide resistant crops, that carry insecticidal properties and grown with regular dowsing with herbicides, have never been declined by Food Standards Australia New Zealand for Australian and New Zealand (FSANZ) consumers to use.
"It does not need to be this way and Government could quickly correct the situation, by placing a moratorium on new GE food applications, reassessing or withdrawing the approximately seventy GE food lines approved for use in the New Zealand food supply."
The Soil & Health Association said it wants to see New Zealand adopt an organic-only policy to food by 2020.
Currently, all applications for the sale genetically modified food must be assessed on a case-by-case basis by FSANZ .
Companies are required to provide evidence that their GM food is safe for human consumption, and FSANZ says it has a rigourous and transparent process for assessing their safety.
