245 Consumers Organizations in 111 Countries Call For Mandatory Labelling

Mae-Wan Ho / Bangkok Post 29may00

Consumers International, the global federation of consumer organisations, says that the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the United Nations Body responsible for setting international food standards, now has the chance - after two failed attempts - to back consumers and require mandatory labelling of genetically modified food, during its upcoming annual meeting.

Consumers International, which represents 245 consumer organisations in 111 countries, has been lobbying extensively for the past several years for Codex members, who are government representatives, to pass an agreement requiring mandatory labelling. So far, Codex has failed to do so.

At a preliminary meeting of the Codex, a Consumers International delegation, including members from the United States, Korea, Romania, Ghana and Argentina, as well as Consumers International's director general Julian Edwards, called for comprehensive and mandatory labelling. In particular Consumers International said it was opposed to one of the options currently before Codex members, which would exclude from labelling those products which contain neither protein nor DNA.

Such exclusion is not based upon sound science, Consumers International argued.

The organisation noted that there can be unexpected effects when foreign genetic material is introduced into a food. For example, crops such as canola have been deliberately engineered so that the oils they produce differ from traditional oils in ways that benefit animal or human nutrition. However, it also is possible that changes could unintentionally occur which would be detrimental to human health, even though no protein or identifiable DNA is present.

Comprehensive labelling is necessary to ensure consumer confidence and consumer choice, Consumers International said in a statement to the Codex committee. It is essential for exercising the right to choose what one eats.

Although Codex has consistently rejected demands for mandatory labelling in the past, the tide has been turning in favour of consumers. Far more countries supported mandatory labelling at the 1999 Codex meeting than did at the 1998 meeting. Consumers International hopes this trend will continue.

The use of genetic engineering is something in which there is almost universal interest among consumers, Consumers International's statement said. Consumers therefore want labelling of all foods that are derived from gene technology.

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