US and EU Consumers Call for Regulation of New Genetic Modification Techniques

EU and US consumers have voiced their support for the regulation and labeling of products derived from new genetic modification techniques, in a resolution released by Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue on Wednesday.

TACD published a new resolution on consumer concerns about new genetic modification techniques. The resolution states that consumers have the right to know when new genetic engineering techniques are used, including in their food, but companies are lobbying to exempt such products from regulation. A number of new genetic engineering techniques have been developed which were not in use when current laws on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were drafted.

The new resolution states that risks to human health, animal welfare and the environment must be assessed before products derived from new genetic engineering techniques are placed on the market or released into the environment. Products must also be labelled in accordance with consumers’ rights to know and choose what they are buying, including what they eat.

The resolution makes a set of recommendations to the EU and U.S. authorities for a framework that guarantees the adequate protection of EU and U.S. consumers alike.

TACD urges the EU and US governments to:

– Regulate products of new genetic engineering techniques as genetically modified organisms (GMOs);

– Strengthen regulatory systems to include mandatory pre-market human health evaluation that will screen all foods produced using new genetic engineering techniques for potential hazards;

– Develop strong systems of pre-market environmental safety evaluation and post-market monitoring;

– Fully consider the welfare of animals altered using new genetic engineering techniques prior to approval;

– Adopt mandatory labelling rules for all food produced using new genetic engineering techniques;

– Adopt and enforce strict rules for corporate liability and mandatory insurance for companies that want to release organisms altered using new genetic engineering techniques into the environment;

– Establish and maintain systems to ensure that identity-preserved supplies of non-genetically-engineered ingredients remain available.

Steve Suppan, co-chair of the TACD Food Policy Committee said:

“Our resolution and technical appendix provide recommendations and a framework towards regulating the products of the new genetic engineering techniques on the basis of 21st century science. U.S. pressure on the European Commission to emulate U.S. procedures to deregulate such products in order to promote trade is strongly opposed by TACD members. In fact the US should learn the lessons from the present debacle on GM crops and listen to consumers from the start and regulate and label the new GM techniques. The EU should apply existing GM laws to all products derived from so called “NPBT” and gene-editing.”