EU agrees on labelling of food containing GMOs
European Union environment ministers agreed yesterday on comprehensive new rules on the traceability and labelling of food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The compromise agreement on the so-called "Frankenstein foods", announced by Denmark as the current EU president, must be endorsed by the European Parliament.
It will then give the EU almost full legislation on the issue, opening the way to lifting a ban on GMO products imposed in 1999 by seven of the 15 member states.
Last month EU agriculture ministers agreed that food or animal feed containing more than 0.9% of genetically altered ingredients should be automatically labelled.
The latest compromise by environment ministers was reached after a two-hour public debate focusing on labelling consignments of loose goods containing mixtures of GMOs. This had been the thorniest aspect of negotiations.
The agreed text foresees operators providing lists of "all GMOs which have been used to make up the mixture."
A revision clause was added to review the efficiency of the measure at the latest two years after the new regulations are implemented.
In October the EU agreed new guidelines for the eventual cultivation of GMO crops, seen as a preliminary step to lifting the ban in the seven nations - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Luxembourg.
