FSA jury finds GM foods 'not guilty'

The Food Standards Agency citizens' jury rendered its verdict yesterday afternoon, narrowly deciding that GM foods should be available to buy in the UK. Confidence in safety measures, freedom of choice, and moving with the times were stated as the main reasons for their acceptance.

Over three days, the jurors - comprised of 15 people from Slough selected as a cross-section of society - had access to the entire spectrum of views on GM food, and were able to develop an in-depth understanding of the issues via sessions with expert witnesses from organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Bayer CropScience, Sainsbury's and the Consumers' Association.

The jury was also briefed by Professor Kathy Sykes of Bristol University about the nature of risk, food safety and DNA. The question to be answered was: 'should GM foods be available to buy in the UK?'

After two hours of deliberation, the jury presented its verdict to FSA chief executive Dr Jon Bell. The majority of jurors thought GM food should be available to buy in the UK, although a strong minority of six people voted against.

The main reasons given by the jury for accepting GM foods were their confidence in safety measures, freedom of choice, and moving with the times by embracing new developments so as not to be left behind by other countries.

However all the jurors agreed that certain measures were vital for the introduction of GM foods into the UK. These included education to keep the public informed of developments and possible problems with GM and effective labelling and monitoring of GM foods. It was felt that all GM products should be clearly labelled with a GM food logo to ensure that people can make a genuine choice to eat or avoid eating GM foods.

A number of jurors expressed concerns about the long-term safety of genetically modified organisms, ethical concerns, and the environmental impact of growing GM crops in the UK. Although environmental issues are outside the remit of the FSA, it has said that jurors' concerns about environmental issues will still be included in the final published report of the jury's considerations.

The jury, considered socially representative of the population of Slough, included an accountant, two students, a housewife, taxi driver, driving instructor, and a minister of religion.

The jury's deliberations in reaching a verdict will be available to watch as video-on-demand from midday Tuesday 8 April, on the FSA website​.