Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Therefore, the EU adopted a series of regulations related to GMOs
(see Chapter 3) of which the regulations (EC) No 1829/2003 and
1830/2003 dealing with the admission, labeling, and traceability of GMOs
have special impact on the food and feed industry (Jany and Schuh,
2005). Important targets of these regulations are to ensure freedom of
choice for consumers and users of GM and non-GM products as well as
to avoid environmental and health risks associated with the commercial
use of GM products. However, it is important to consider that the afore-
mentioned regulations deal with GM food and feed products that have
been approved in the EU either for commercial use, import, or export.
GM food and feed should only be authorized for placing on the EU mar-
ket after a scientific evaluation of any risks that they present for human
and animal health and for the environment (i.e., GM food and feed that
are approved for commercial use in the EU are regarded by the regula-
tory authorities to be safe for consumers and do not cause any adverse
effects to the environment or ecosystems) has been done at least at the
current stage of knowledge (European Parliament and the Council of the
European Union, 2003a, b).
According to regulations (EC) No 1829/2003 and 1830/2003, food
and feed products have to be labeled to contain GMOs or GM material
when a tolerance threshold of 0.9 percent is exceeded for EU authorized
GMOs, and 0.5 percent for unauthorized GMOs if they have already
received a favorable EU risk assessment. Products containing traces of
GMOs below the appropriate regulatory thresholds are exempt from
labeling, provided that compliant traceability systems are in place and
traces of GMOs are adventitious and technically unavoidable. Also ani-
mal products that were produced with GM feed compounds do not have
to be labeled. Products containing GMOs above the thresholds must be
labeled as such, even if the GM material is undetectable by analytical
tests. In these cases, product traceability has to be mandated through
documentation systems and implementation of these systems for the
entire supply chain (Fagan, 2004; European Parliament and the Coun-
cil of the European Union, 2003a, b).
