In the US the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) has criticised new requirements enforced by the European Union's Council of Ministers on the labelling and traceability of foods and feeds containing genetically modified ingredients.
There has been a long-standing battle between both US and EU authorities over the position of GM foods and feed in Europe. In the US biotechnology firms are far in advance of their European counterparts, mainly due to more lenient regulations which has allowed the industry to flourish there.
In response to the EU ruling John Cady, president and CEO of the NFPA said: "By finalising these new requirements which NFPA has strongly opposed the EU has turned away from food science and food safety, and has established a serious trade barrier that will keep many US food products out of the European market.
"European consumers will see such labels on food products as 'warning labels.' However, there is no safety or nutrition issue associated with the products of agricultural biotechnology on the market, and there is no scientific basis for requiring the labelling of biotech foods.¹
The US authorities have been pushing EU authorities towards the more widespread acceptance of biotechnology for food applications in an effort to increase the global scope of the industry. However EU authorities have held out against relaxing their tighter regulations until further scientific research is carried out on the effects of GM crops.
In defence of US biotechnology industry interests, Cady added: "Mandatory labelling should be based on the composition, intended use, and health and safety characteristics of a food product, not on the 'genetic process' from which it was derived. Moreover, the traceability requirements are a classic case of regulatory overkill, putting complex and detailed new requirements on food companies, with no benefit for consumers.
In an effort to win further support on the matter the NFPA is calling on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to address the issue in an effort to quash what it considers to be an unfair trade block. Whether or not the WTO is sympathetic to the NFPA remains to be seen, but with the recent results of a three-year UK government study into the affects of GM crops on the environment proving cause for caution on the matter, it seems doubtful that there is going to be any immediate back down by EU authorities.