EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/717

(2004/C 78 E/0765)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1504/03

by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 May 2003)

Subject: Measurability of GMO material in food products

The Commission proposal for a directive on traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is currently awaiting its second reading by the European Parliament. An important precondition and premise of the directive is that consumers must be able to choose between products which contain GMO material and those which do not.

On 28 November 2002 the Agriculture Council reached agreement on the Commission proposal, setting thresholds for determining whether or not a product would have to be labelled as containing GMO material.

The Council decided that there was no need to label a product as containing GMO material unless it contained at least 0,9 %.

At the same time a threshold of 0,5 % was set for adventitious GMO material which is not permitted but which an assessment has shown to be risk-free. This ‘tolerance threshold’ will remain in force for three years.

The Commission welcomed the Council's agreement. On 4 December 2002 the Commission inaugurated the European network of GMO laboratories. This network of 45 European laboratories will cooperate in the development of methods of tracing, identifying and quantifying GMOs and producing reference material.

The system for tracing GMOs will require suitable instruments and testing methods.

1. To what extent can the presence of GMO material in food products in such marginal quantities genuinely be measured, in the Commission's opinion?

2. Are adequate instruments and suitable testing methods already in use which can trace the presence of GMOs?

3. If so, are these instruments and methods equally available in all Member States and are the instruments and methods of the same standard in all Member States?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(17 July 2003)

1. The Commission would like to stress that the thresholds agreed in the Common Position on the Regulation on genetically modified (GM) food and feed (1) relate only to adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of genetically modified material. Furthermore, the requirements to trace genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and food and feed produced from GMOs have been agreed in the Common Position on traceability and labelling of GMOs and traceability of food and feed produced from GMOs. These requirements are based on paper documentation and implies that operators must have systems in place to be able to identify from whom they received such products and to whom they have sold such products. The common position does not include an obligation for operators to test products for presence of GM material. Where no analytical detection methods are currently available, the accuracy and truthfulness of the information being provided on labels can be controlled through the traceability system. Concerning analytical methods, presence of GMOs is measured by determining the amount of GM-specific DNA or proteins present in a certain sample, thus it is usually necessary for those running a test to know the characteristics of the specific GMO(s) they are searching for.

2. The equipment for GMO analysis is widely available in the enforcement and private laboratories of different Member States. Protocols for detection of approved GMOs are also available, as indicated in the Commission Recommendation of 25 January 2002 concerning a co-ordinated programme for the official control of foodstuffs for 2002 (2). To facilitate detection, the proposed GM food and feed legislation will require the notifier to provide a method as part of the authorisation procedure as well as to submit the material for the production of certified reference materials.

3. All Member States are understood to have sufficient instruments and methods available that meet adequate standards. Moreover, the Commission operates the European Network of GMO Laboratories. The network consists of more than 40 control laboratories located in Member States and provides full participation to Accession Countries. It is also interacting with all Union global trade partners. One of the objectives is to facilitate the enforcement of the rules for labelling and traceability of GMOs in the food chain.

(1) OJ C 113 E, 13.5.2003.

(2) OJ L 26, 30.1.2002.