EU GMO Legislation Cleared

Though European Union (EU) retailers were already required to label many products containing detectable genetically modified organisms (GMOs), a new agreement extends the current requirements to additional ingredients, such as soya and maize oil, and further restricts the amount of GMOs allowed in unlabeled products. The agreement also establishes a system for placing on the market and labeling GMO food and feed products, according to a Dec. 2 article at FoodNavigator.com.

Current legislation exempted labeling of products with less than 1 percent GM material; the new law says unlabeled products cannot contain more than .9 percent GM material. In addition, all foods derived from more than .9 percent GMOs must now be labeled, regardless of whether GMs are detectible in the final product.

European food industry representatives say that though they support GM labeling, they are concerned about how enforceable the new laws will be. The food and drink manufacturing industry “strongly regrets that the Member States did not take into consideration its concerns on the practical implications of the agreed labeling rules, not only for food operators but also for enforcement authorities,” Raymond Destin, director general of the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries in the EU, states via FoodNavigator.com.