Written Answers. - Genetically Modified Organisms.
Liz McManus
Question:
229
Ms McManus
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the way in which he planned to introduce the labelling of genetically altered food in view of the EU ruling that producers should label goods as containing genetically modified organisms if any of the ingredients contain more than 1 per cent of GMOs; his views on whether Ireland labels GMO products even if they contain less than 1 per cent; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22727/99]
Council Regulation (EC) No. 1139/98 concerning the compulsory indication on the labelling of certain foodstuffs produced from genetically modified organisms of particulars other than those provided for in Directive 79/112/EEC applies to foods and food ingredients which are produced, in whole or in part, from a Monsanto genetically modified soya bean and a Novartis genetically modified maize.
The regulation lays down additional labelling requirements for these products. Such labelling ensures that the final consumer is informed of any characteristic or food property, such as composition, nutritional value or nutritional effects or the intended use of the food, which renders a food or food ingredient no longer equivalent to an existing food or food ingredient. If genetically modified protein or DNA is present in a foodstuff, then that foodstuff is subject to the additional labelling requirements as prescribed in the regulation.
Recitals 14 and 15 of this regulation refer to the possibility of setting ade minimis, minimum threshold level to cater for adventitious, unintentional/accidental contamination of foodstuffs with DNA or protein resulting from genetic modification. The rationale for establishing a de minimis threshold is to avoid a situation whereby foods and food ingredients would have to be labelled in cases in which, despite not being from GMO origin, small proportions of modified DNA or protein would be present due to adventitious contamination. Adventitious contamination can potentially occur at many stages of the production chain, from the field, pollen, through transport and storage to food processing.
A draft regulation amending Regulation 1139/98 setting thede minimis threshold level at 1 per cent was adopted at the standing committee for food meeting on 21 October last. It is envisaged that the European Commission will adopt the measures around the end of the year. As the Deputy will be aware, an EU regulation is directly applicable to and binding on all member states. However, it will be necessary to make national provisions to give effect to this regulation by laying down enforcement powers for authorised officers and imposing penalties for non-observance. I intend to proceed with the necessary arrangements for implementation of this regulation as soon as agreement has been reached at EU level on a validated analytical method to determine whether a foodstuff contains genetically modified protein or DNA. Work is at an advanced stage at European level to develop a validated analytical method and a workshop on detection methods will be held at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, on 11 and 12 November next. Ireland will be represented there by the State Laboratory and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
Thede minimis threshold level, set at 1 per cent, means that the proportion of GM material accidentally present cannot be higher than 1 per cent of each ingredient individually considered on a cumulative basis. At a level below this 1 per cent, products not of GMO origin but containing small proportions of genetically modified DNA or protein due to adventitious contamination, will not be subject to the additional labelling requirements as laid down in the regulation. To avail of the provisions of this regulation, economic operators will have to provide evidence that they have obtained their product from a non-GM source. I wish to point out to the Deputy that the establishment of this threshold does not exempt from labelling small quantities of foods and food ingredients from GMO origin whose presence in a foodstuff is not due to adventitious contamination.
