GM labelling: Krebs vs Meacher6 March 2002
Friends of the Earth is set to challenge the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to stand up for British consumers and demand better labelling of GM foods.
FSA chief Sir John Krebs and Environment Minister Michael Meacher will both give evidence to a House of Lords committee, on new EU proposals for better labelling and tracing of GM foods.
The FSA has echoed both the US Government and the American Soybean Association, by calling for weaker proposals as well as a "GM-free" label which will only apply to a limited amount of food, which the FSA admits will be more expensive. Meacher is believed to support more stringent labelling and traceability requirements, making a clash between the two likely.
The FSA has said the EU proposals are unworkable and open to fraud - but Friends of the Earth believes the FSA-proposed "GM-free" label would be open to even worse problems.
Recently US embassy officials giving evidence to the same committee refused to accept European consumers' right to choose to avoid GM food apart for voluntary schemes.
"The FSA's position is appalling. They seem to be more interested in protecting the biotech industry than British consumer," said Friends of the Earth GM Campaigner Adrian Bebb. "Food has been GM-free for thousands of years, but now the FSA say we must pay more if we want to avoid this controversial technology. The British public has made it very clear that they want proper choice over whether or not to eat GM foods. The FSA, which was set up to protect consumers, seems intent on taking that choice away."
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