ENSA President calls for harmonised GM labels

The president of the European Natural Soyfood Manufacturers Association (ENSA), Bernard Deryckere, has called on the EU to better direct consumers towards foods that are not genetically-modified, perhaps by introducing GM-free labels across the food industry, EurActiv.com reports.

“Current EU policy does not sufficiently support the cultivation of GMO-free soy products, despite a clear demand for GMO-free food by the consumer,” Mr. Deryckere told EurActiv. “66% of the EU citizens are worried about GM in food and drinks, and thirdly European labelling rules are not yet fully harmonised across EU member states, which may result in consumer confusion,” he said, referring to a 2010 Eurobarometer survey on food-related risks. Another Eurobarometer revealed that 61% of Europeans did not think that the development of GMOs should be promoted. Deryckere believes that it is unfair that the scheme does not take into account feed for animal-based products. However, to the European Commission, that the harmonisation of labels was not so simple. “There is a split majority on the issue,” said Werner Bosmans, an official in the Commission’s environment directorate.
 

The European Union currently has a system requiring companies to label their products if they contain more than 0.9% GMOs. They are considerably different in various countries, however: In Finland, a product must be 100% GMO-free to qualify for the label, whereas Germany permits under 0.1%. In France, vegetable-based products with under 0.1% GMO can qualify for the label. Green MEPs have pushed for specific “GMO-free” labels to apply across the European Union, and a number of companies have introduced voluntary GMO-free labels, including Belgian soy manufacturer Alpro, a member company of ENSA.

EurActiv.com