EU to charge firms for gene food labelling test
Date: 06-Dec-02
Country: BELGIUM
The European Union has not authorised any new GM products since 1998 because of consumer fears about such foods, but the likely introduction of tough new standards may reopen the market, with firms racing to have their products approved.
"Of course the companies involved would be charged a fee," said Barry McSweeney, director general of the Commission's Joint Research Centre.
Rules agreed by EU ministers last week, but yet to be approved by the European Parliament, set labelling rules for GM foods. Food containing more than 0.9 percent of GM material would need to be labelled to inform consumers.
Guy Van Den Eede, head of the Commission's GM food and environment unit, said producers were keen to cooperate in order to get their products on to the market quickly.
"We are establishing a very good relationship with the biotech companies," he said.
"We need to have information from the biotech companies on how exactly they have made the GMOs. Without that, it's like looking for an invisible needle in a haystack."
Developing each test currently takes about three months and costs about 125,000 euros. Carrying out a test on each sample of food is likely to cost between 200 and 2000 euros, EU scientists at the Commission's research facility at Geel said.
GM producers have not been charged for the 15 products so far authorised. Another 18 products have been in the pipeline for about five years.
But with 405 GM products so far cleared by U.S. authorities, Commission officials admit they may face a rush at the end of the EU moratorium, something Washington is keen to see.
"There's a pending threat from the U.S. authorities that should this moratorium not be lifted, they might resort to filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation," an EU official said.
