Reuters | November 18, 1999
BRUSSELS - Following are key facts on how the European Union treats growing and labelling of genetically modified crops and foods containing GM ingredients.
The EU permits imports of approved strains of GM maize and soybeans but there is a de facto moratorium on growing new GM crops within the EU amid widespread consumer concern about safety of foods derived from such crops and their impact on the environment.
The halt has raised the spectre of a damaging trade dispute with the United States, which has been angered by difficulties it faces exporting corn (maize) and soybeans to the EU. Consumer concerns have led to EU importers shunning US maize or soybeans, used mostly in animal feed, over fears it could contain GM material.
The story says that Novartis maize was one of the first GM crops approved in Europe. The authorisation came in controversial circumstances and despite the opposition of a number of governments. France blocked the seed from being planted on its own territory.
An EU advisory committee recently gave a new GM tomato a clean bill of health, although this still has to be submitted for a vote by member states. Other than that, no new GM crops have been authorised since April 1998.
Under the current, discredited system, member states submit an authorisation request for planting and marketing of GM seeds on behalf of companies. If other states do not approve, the application is studied by EU scientific committees and is subject to a vote by member states' chief scientists.
The story notes that the EU is attempting to streamline procedures after controversy over delays in putting the first new products on the market and to counter growing public concern.
The story also says that efforts to reassure European consumers have not been helped by lack of clarity about how to label such foods.
In October 1999 the Commission ruled all food products sold in the EU must be labelled as containing GM materials if at least one of their ingredients contains at least one percent GM DNA or protein. Below that threshold, there is no labelling requirement.
But the ruling did not define what may be labelled "GM-free" and the Commission is still working on a definition of this. The ruling also covered labelling of foods containing GM-derived additives, although no threshold has yet been set for additives.
The decision to set the threshold at one percent is an attempt to take account of the fact that traces of GM material may enter the food chain during processing and manufacturing.
