Genetically Modified crops
Food and consumer choice
8.19 The Working Party has carefully examined all the evidence that we have been able to assemble about possible risks to food safety from GM food. We have not been able to find any evidence of harm. We are satisfied that all products currently on the market have been rigorously screened by the regulatory authorities, that they continue to be monitored, and that no evidence of harm has been detected. We have concluded that all the GM food so far on the market in this country is safe for consumption.
8.20 There is nevertheless widespread public concern about GM food safety. Some people do not want to eat food containing or derived from GM material either because they do not trust the regulatory process or because they dislike or object to food produced in this way or because they feel that they do not have enough information about the processes or consequences of GM. The Working Party concludes that continuing vigilance is necessary for all GM food just as for other novel foods. In particular we recommend consideration of:
(paragraph 7.52).
8.21 A genuine choice of non-GM foods should remain available with foods containing GM material being properly labelled so that choice can be exercised. More efforts should also be made to disseminate accurate and accessible information about GM food products and what is being done to test and monitor their safety. If effective choices are to be offered it will also be necessary for food producers to segregate food from GM and non-GM sources and to label it appropriately.
8.22 We conclude that the case for a viable labelling system is overwhelming given the level of public interest and demand. In response to consumer pressure, several of the major retailers as well as the organic sector are themselves taking steps to indicate which of their food products contain GM materials and which are GM-free. Others are removing GM ingredients from their products. This market-driven solution will need to be reinforced by statutory regulations requiring GM content to be specified in labels. We recognise that some people want to avoid GM foods because of how they are grown, not just because of what they contain. However, where products derived from GM sources are chemically indistinguishable from non-GM products we do not think it necessary nor practical to make universal labelling a statutory requirement (paragraphs 2.35-37). We recommend that labelling of GM products should only be statutorily required for foods and products that contain identifiable GM material (DNA and proteins) above an agreed threshold(paragraph 7.54).