Consumers, Industry At Odds Over Benefits Of Bio-Sugar

JENNY LARSEN / DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 22nov00

LONDON -- European consumers can't see the benefits of genetically modified sugar, and are calling for better labeling and clearer information, a European consumers group officer said Tuesday.

"We need truthful and complete information before the approval process, and a secure choice for the consumers through labeling. Consumers have the right to know what they're buying," Beate Kettlitz of the Bureau Europeen des Unions des Consommateurs said at the International Sugar Organization's annual conference in London.

While saying the BEUC didn't oppose genetically modified products in general, Kettlitz said health concerns had to be addressed.

She cited recent surveys showing that an increasing number of people in Europe were opposed to biotech products, with countries such as Greece, France and the U.K. at the forefront. The Netherlands by comparison is more tolerant, where out of those surveyed, 65% accepted the idea of genetically modified potatoes, and 47% accepted genetically modified tomatoes.

However, she said the acceptance for genetic modification in medical products was far higher.

"It's a question of perceptions. The debate on soy shows that perceptions of consumers are different from scientific views," Kettlitz said, adding that if benefits were shown, then the situation would be different.

Countering this, Monsanto Co. (MON) Director of Industry Affairs Europe-Africa Daniel Rahier said bio-sugar had clear benefits, even if they weren't discernible by the consumer. He also said the use of genetically modified material wasn't at the top of consumer concerns on health.

"Under current labeling schemes, genetically modified content doesn't seem to play a role in impacting consumer purchase decisions," Rahier said at the conference.

He cited data showing that consumers put fat, red meat and sugar at the top of the list when considering health issues in food, and not genetic modification.

However, given high consumer awareness of the issue and increasing media attention, Rahier said scientific and regulatory approval in itself was no longer sufficient. Companies need to seek consumer views and demonstrate the benefits, he added.

Benefits In Pest Control, Costs

Rahier said small-scale trials of genetically modified sugar beet showed higher resistance to disease and the likelihood of improving root shape and frost tolerance, thereby increasing yields.

In cane, research is developing herbicide-tolerant cane, with trial areas increasing.

Rahier told the ISO gathering that genetically modified crops are very much a reality, with 45 million hectares of land covered with genetically modified crops of mostly corn, sugar and soybean, with the emphasis on improving farming efficiency.

On the issue of finance, he said genetically modified beet production in the European Union could cut costs by 15%-30%, depending on the seed technology used as a result of savings on pesticides and other chemicals.

However, while genetically modified sugar production is a reality in countries such as the U.S., Europe is yet to embrace the new technology.

Monsanto, along with other biotech companies, has been waiting for the E.U. to complete its regulatory process on the sector for nearly three years, and this is causing "more than a headache" for the company, Rahier said.

Asked when and if the company would be ready to launch bio-sugar on the E.U. market, he said it was impossible to predict a time frame.

"The next benchmark is the European Parliament and Commission review of 92 20 legislation governing the biotech industry, but there are many political constraints," he told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of the conference.

Rahier also said a tough regulatory environment in itself wasn't a problem, as at least there would be clarity.

"The problem for us is uncertainty, so we can't say when it will happen," he said.

Already, countries such as Argentina, China and South Africa are moving very fast by comparison.

"I'm convinced that if we had a pilot case (in the E.U.) and showed the product, we would get different views," he said.