Consumer victory as EU broadens rules on the labelling of GM foods

In a victory for consumers the European Commission is to introduce much wide-ranging regulations on the labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods. The Industry Commissioner, Mr Martin Bangemann, has conceded that consumers have a right "to be informed about the use of additives or flavourings genetically modified or produced by genetic engineering".

The Commission had previously sided with producers who insisted such labelling was unnecessary, but now it has undertaken to have new regulations in place within a year. The decision is widely believed to be a response to consumer pressure within member-states.

The U-turn will cause turmoil for many food companies which already have been altering packaging to comply with less stringent labelling regulations which came into force from September 1st.

The Commission had staunchly resisted Green amendments in the European Parliament requiring all foods containing GM organisms (GMOs) and their derivatives to be labelled. As recently as last May, it was still maintaining that additives and flavourings should be exempted.

The new regulations mean additives and flavourings will have to be labelled. Some supermarket groups, such as Tesco, had decided to introduce their own, more extensive, labelling scheme in the interests of transparency and in response to consumer concerns. This includes derivatives such as oils made from GM soya or GM maize which the Commission had ruled did not contain a significant GM component.

The move to extend labelling "is certainly a step forward", according to the Green MEP, Ms Nuala Ahern. "The Commission must reinforce promises with action and prove a move away from industry bias." Her party colleague, Ms Patricia McKenna MEP, said the Commission "has been forced to recognise the logic of labelling all GMOs rather than seeking to fence off parts of the food chain in order to protect gene technology industry".

There was now an urgent need to "unify" EU legislation, which now had three different and unsatisfactory sets of GM food regulations. She added: "How much longer will Irish consumers have to wait before they find whether their food has been genetically engineered or not?"

In another departure, the Consumer Affairs Commissioner, Ms Emma Bonino, has signalled that EU legislation will be introduced to ensure consumers have access to foods guaranteed free of GMOs. She told a biotechnology conference in Brussels that a GMO-free line of food production was to be established. This would follow the example of organic farming but be a line of foods containing no GMOs.

Ms Bonino said: "The failure to offer such a GMO-free line would run counter to the basic right of consumers to choose which products they buy, and would increase hostility of certain consumers who fear they will be force-fed with GMOs."

But she admitted the task would be a highly complex one.