EU rules to end ban on GM food

The EU has agreed on legislation to bring an end to the four year ban on new genetically modified food products being sold in Europe. MEP's claim the laws will be the strictest in the world, backed up by comprehensive labelling, but the biggest hurdle for GM food producers will be consumer attitudes.

MEP's claim the new laws will be amongst the toughest in Europe. The ruling means that all GM food products will have to undergo a series of rigorous testing to ensure that they pose no potential health or environmental risk before they are authorised for sale or marketing anywhere in the EU.

The previous laws have meant that no new GM food product has been approved for sale in Europe since 1998, a long and frustrating wait for many of the major GM food production companies who have wanted to tap into the huge and potentially lucrative European market.

However, even with the new regulations in force things will not be moving at any great speed. The new laws mean that approval of any GM foods will be strictly regulated and that the authorisation process could, for some products, take years.

What's more, the new laws also stipulate that any GM food product or ingredient should be clearly labelled as such. This in itself may prove a severe drawback in a region often viewed as being conservative in attitudes to new food products or processes. In the US, which as a market is usually far more receptive to innovation, GM foods have now been on sale for many years, and in many cases have become a staple.

However, in Europe environmental and other lobby groups wield much more power and have considerable influence on public opinion. Friends Of The Earth is just one group which has campaigned vehemently against the introduction of GM foods and crops. Its actions have been particularly successful in countries such as the UK where effectively all leading supermarkets have banned GM foods from their shelves.

However both the British government and the EU favour the reintroduction of GM foods - the British government because it fears its biotechnology industry is being stunted by the delay, and the EU because it fears being sued by the huge US companies producing GM foods and wanting to tap into the European market.

Now all EU countries will eventually have to accept GM foods, which for the seven member states - including Italy and France - which have been most opposed to the introduction could lead to, at the very least, intense debate. Those seven member states have suggested that they would reintroduce the ban on a national level when the new rules come into force.

Pete Riley of Friends of the Earth told British newspaper The Guardian​ : "Once again the UK government is putting the interests of the biotech industry ahead of consumers and the environment. Why else is the UK opposing European GM labelling rules when every other member state supports them?​

"They also want to end the moratorium, despite the absence of any rules to protect farmers, consumers and the environment. The government's stance on this issue makes a complete mockery of its claim to have an 'open mind' on GM issues."​

Whatever the outcome, it doesn't seem like GM foods are going to become an overnight success story in Europe.