GP Welcomes Decision to Throw Out GE Food Labelling Plan

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

GREENPEACE WELCOMES DECISION TO THROW OUT GE FOOD LABELLING PLAN

Brussels, 15 January, 1998 -- Greenpeace welcomed today's
decision to turn down a plan from the European Commission for
limited labelling of genetically engineered food products. The
Regulation was rejected by The Standing Committee on Food Safety
and will now have to go before the full Council of Ministers.

Greenpeace and the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) had
strongly criticised the proposed new Regulation. Under the
scheme, around 95 per cent of products which could be derived
from genetically modified soybeans and maize would not come
under the scheme .

"The Commission is trying to fool European consumers," said
Greenpeace Campaigner Benny Haerlin. "This labelling plan is
dishonest. Ninety-five per cent of products are excluded from
the scheme whether they contain genetically engineered products
or not." For many of the products which do come under the
scheme, a meaningless label `may contain' genetically modified
produce, would be added. 

"In any case, this so-called labelling regulation would do no
more than industry itself -- including Unilever, Nestle and
Danone -- has already agreed to voluntarily," added Haerlin.

Under the new Regulation, only a minority of GE products would
have to be labelled as "produced from genetically modified soya"
(or maize). These are products where the manipulated DNA itself
or proteins altered by the manipulation can be traced with
present methods of analysis. This would not include major
supermarket items such as soya oil, margarine and chocolate.

The Regulation would exclude all food additives, flavourings and
extraction solvents from any labelling requirements. Even
products where genetically engineered DNA can be detected would
not have to be labelled if the engineered component, such as
soya lecithin, is considered a food additive and not a food
ingredient.

The Regulation only applies to products of Monsanto's
genetically engineered soya and Novartis' genetically engineered
maize, which do not fall under the Novel Food Regulation as they
had been approved prior to its adoption. However these specific
labelling regulations are widely seen as the precedent for
general labelling provisions under the Novel Food Regulation,
still to be presented by the Commission.

Greenpeace demands the segregation of genetically engineered and
normal crops, and a proper labelling system tracing genetically
modified products from source. The organisation has presented a
simple and clear scheme for labelling including an easy to
recognize logo. Just this week one of the world's top grain
traders, Central Soya, announced it had already imported into
Europe two shiploads of segregated traditional soya which had
been segregated in North America. Other traders have been
claiming it was impossible to segregate. Central soya said it
could satisfy presently known demand for GE-free soya.


ends

Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org