Your right to choose

Opinion polls consistently show the majority of people in the UK and EU do not want GM in the food chain, a right they should be able to exercise. Yet as more GM crops are approved and grown around the world, the more incidents of GM contamination of non-GM foods emerge, often unexplained.

  • Consumers need information about all the issues raised by the introduction of new foods including health, social, environmental and ethical implications. This is not yet available, and there is ongoing concern that in fact some science in these areas is suppressed.

Segregation and labelling

  • Some 80% of processed foods contain maize or soya, two major GM crops. The bulk of GM crops are grown in the US, Argentina, Brazil and Canada where they are not always properly segregated from conventional crops, raising concerns about contamination.
  • Those who wish to grow, transport and trade GM food and crops should bear the costs of bringing their products safely to market - including all costs of segregation and labelling GM foods and foods from animals reared on GM feed. Costs are currently backwards, with non-GM farmers paying more to keep their crops clean, so non-GM costs more.
  • All GM ingredients in food and animal feed must be labelled by law, including products derived from GM crops which do not contain detectable GM materials, such as vegetable oil and lecithin. However products such as milk, meat, cheese and eggs from animals reared on GM feed do not have to be labelled, so it is impossible to tell if they have been produced using GM or not.
  • Reliable labelling requires diligent enforcement of the rules. We are working to ensure your right to know is properly upheld.

Health and safety

  • There are serious doubts about the way in which GM foods are regulated. GM foods are considered "safe" when they are deemed to be "substantially equivalent" to non-GM foods. This method of assessment is flawed because it could miss minor but significant chemical changes. For example new toxins could be created unexpectedly.
  • Testing has largely been limited to short-term tests on animals, and this is proving problematic. One research project on humans found that GM traits had unexpectedly transferred to bacteria in the gut, and other studies are beginning to show differences between GM and non-GM foods.
  • The process of genetic modification has unpredictable effects on the genetic makeup of organisms, so the effects on human health are equally uncertain. There is already evidence that changes in the levels of biologically active hormones occur.
  • Introducting genes from organisms never eaten before introduces a risk of new health effects. Fears that known allergens can be transferred were confirmed in experiments when a brazil nut allergen was transferred with the gene inserted into a GM soybean.
  • Many GM foods contain marker genes resistant to commonly used antibiotics, which could increase problems with antibiotic resistance to human and veterinary medicines. This has been criticised by European health authorities, but om 2010 the Amflora GM potato was approved for cultivaiton regardless.

Ethical issues

  • GM can involve moving a gene from one species into a completely different one with which it could never naturally breed. For example in laboratory experiments a gene from a fish has been inserted into potatoes and tomatoes to enhance their resistance to frost. Vegetarians, including those with religious reasons to avoid meat, may find it difficult to determine where animals have been used in GM.
  • There are also wide-ranging animal welfare concerns in the development of transgenic animals and cloning. For example in the US a gene for a human growth hormone was inserted into pig embryos to increase growth rate. The pigs developed severe arthritis, had spinal deformities, and were impotent. Furthermore the validity of findings from tests on animals such as mice and rats to inform us of potential health effects on humans is questionable on both scientific and ethical grounds.
  • Concerns around GM include the ethics of patenting and privatising the building blocks of life or life forms themselves.

Summary

To enable people to exercise their right to choose non-GM food and crops we need:

  • Segregation and traceability of GM crops along the entire food chain, with costs born by the GM industry not non-GM farmers.
  • Clear labelling to show foods from animals reared on GM feed.
  • Adequate funding to enable responsible authorities to enforce labelling and traceability regulations.
  • Prevention of gene transfer or cross-pollination between GM and conventional and organic crops, and liability for any harm caused.
  • Long-term independent assessment of GM foods covering all issues of concern to the public.
  • Public access to the information generated by research into GM crops and food.