Vol. 530 No. 5
114 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children the labelling requirements in relation to genetically altered foods or foods containing genetically altered products; his plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4279/01]
My Department is responsible for legislative provisions concerning the labelling of genetically modified food. These provisions are contained in three main pieces of EU legislation as outlined: (1) Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients. This regulation provides that there must be specific labelling to inform the consumer of any characteristic or food property, for example, composition, nutritional value, nutritional effects, intended use of the food, which renders a novel food or novel food ingredient no longer equivalent to an existing food or food ingredient. There must also be specific labelling to advise the consumer of the presence in the novel food or novel food ingredient of: material which is not present in an existing equivalent foodstuff and which may have implications for the health of certain sections of the population, for example, a protein from a known food allergen source such as peanuts; material which is not present in an existing equivalent foodstuff and which gives rise to ethical concerns, for example, a gene of porcine origin in a plant; or an organism genetically modified by techniques of genetic modification, for example, a genetically engineered tomato.
