CONSUMER PROTECTION
Association of European Consumers (AEC)
urges the members of the European
Parliament to vote for GMO-labelling
Letter to the members of the European
Parliament (1 July 2002):
Vote for full labelling and traceability
of GMO foods!
Members of the European Parliament
should ensure consumer choice
this week by voting for full labelling
and traceability of GMO foods. The
requirement for full labelling is traceability,
as proposed by the European
Commission. AEC regards it as an
important step in the right direction
for consumers. We urge MEPs to support
the Environment Committee’s
report and proposed amendments
from June 4, 2002.The strong consumer
desire for labelling of all GMO
foods was found in the 2001
Eurobarometer survey. It showed that:
- 94% of Europeans want the right to choose whether to eat GMO food;
- 85.9% want to know more about GMO foods before eating them;
- 70.9% do not want to eat this type of food at all.
AEC has voiced our concern about
the possibility of unapproved GMOs
entering into the food chain. In a
number of cases, the food and feed
supply has been contaminated with
GMOs. Gene transfer is also a great
concern if the biotech industry moves
into medical GMOs with strong drug
proteins produced by GMO plants.
This is another reason why traceability
is so important.
GMO foods are especially worrying
for people with allergies, as there
is very little research on the allergenicity
of GMO foods. A recent report
by the U.S. Pew Initiative on Food
and Biotechnology concluded that
there are almost no studies examining
the allergenicity of novel proteinsintroduced
from foods created
through Genetic Modification. No
scientific studies have examined the
dose-response or exposure assessment
information needed to determine
safe levels for new proteins produced
by GMO technologies.
In the U.S., due to StarLink corn,
there has been massive consumer
product recalls, class action lawsuits,
buybacks from farmers and a disruption
to farm export markets. Much
more funding is needed to understand
the cause of food allergies, especially
in children. The need for studies and
better risk assessment for GMO foods
has also been the outcome of the 2001
FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on
Allergenicity which the biotech industry
has tried to ignore.
As so little is known about allergenicity,
it is crucial that the precautionary
principle is applied for GMO
foods and that the moratorium against
their approval is maintained. AEC
hopes that Members of the European
Parliament take the views of citizens
into account. Frankly speaking, we do
not trust the self-serving sales arguments
from a monopolistic and profitcentred
biotech industry.
Regards
Bengt Ingerstam
President AEC
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