EU GM food to be identified
be labelled with a unique identifier code beginning in April.
A European Commission regulation adopted this month and effective immediately requires each biotech product to carry the code, composed of nine alphanumeric digits, to ensure tracking through the production and distribution chains.
The code must appear on both labelling and documentation accompanying food, feed and raw materials in particular.
The regulation is the third pillar in the EU's new regulatory system for bioengineered food and feed, backing up regulations on authorisation, labelling and traceability. Manufacturers have to make up their own code based on a standard EU format, and send it to regulators when filing for product approval. For bioengineered products already on the market, the code must be submitted by 13 April.
The EU system is closely linked to the BioTrack product database maintained by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as well as the Biosafety Clearinghouse set up under the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol. Firms must check both databases before allocating codes to their products in case either body has already assigned that particular organism a code or the planned code is already in use.
EU regulators that clear a biotech product also have to notify the unique identifier code to the Biosafety Clearinghouse, and the commission will include it in a European register.
However, there remains great opposition to the introduction of GM food in the EU. Environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth believes that a recent UK government report proves that there is no economic case for commercialising GM crops.
"The GM debate has shown overwhelming public opposition, claimed Friends of the Earth GM campaigner Pete Riley. "The government must respond by refusing to allow GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK, and develop ways to ensure that our food production is safe and sustainable."
There is also growing pressure for tighter regulation in the US, a country where there has traditionally been far more public acceptance of GM technology. US agriculture secretary Ann Veneman announced last week the government's intention to update and strengthen its biotechnology regulations for the importation, interstate movement and environmental release of certain genetically modified organisms.
"The science of biotechnology is continually evolving, so we must ensure that our regulatory framework remains robust by anticipating and keeping pace with those changes," she said. "A comprehensive environmental impact statement is the critical first step in the process. Our regulatory system must be both rigorous and flexible and based on sound science principles and mitigation of risks."
This indicates perhaps a narrowing of the gap of acceptance on both sides of the Atlantic. "This has happened for two reasons," said Bernard Marintelli from the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (ABC), a pro-GM organisation.
"If you look at surveys in the US, there has been a small increase in the number of people that have concerns over GMOs, primarily due to the negative coverage of the issue from Europe. And if you look at recent surveys in Europe, there is now a small core in favour, a small core opposed and a large chunk in the middle driven by issues of taste and price rather than safety."
