HC Deb 12 November 1998 vol 319 cc470-2
7. Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge)

What steps the Government are taking to ensure the clear labelling of genetically modified foods. [58047]

12. Mrs. Eileen Gordon (Romford)

What steps the Government are taking to ensure the clear labelling of genetically modified foods. [58053]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Jeff Rooker)

The Government have widely publicised the EC regulations which require all foods containing GM materials to be clearly labelled and have made it clear that they expect those to be effectively enforced.

Ms Shipley

I thank my hon. Friend for his reply and for his extensive written replies to my constituents, many of whom, along with many organisations in Stourbridge, have written to me on the subject. Is there not a problem, in that the EU thresholds for GM ingredients have not yet been agreed, and the labelling regulations that came into force on 1 September do not include ingredients which are part of the manufacturing and refining processes?

Mr. Rooker

I agree with my hon. Friend. The rules that came into force on 1 September apply to the ingredients in the food purchased by the consumer; they do not affect the manufacturing process where GM materials may have been used but are no longer part of the ingredients.

We are negotiating on the important issue of tolerance levels. The new rules do not apply to additives and flavourings. We think that they should and we are pursuing that in Brussels. It is important to have tolerance levels for GM produce. At a public meeting recently, I learned that some manufacturers have commercial contracts for buying and selling foods to each other where tolerance levels of 0.1 to 1 per cent. are allowed for GM produce in allegedly non-GM foods.

Mrs. Gordon

Will my hon. Friend emphasise the Government's view and intention that consumers should be told exactly what is in their food so that they can make an informed choice about whether to purchase it? Does he intend to take further measures to increase consumer confidence and is he planning any sanctions or actions against food producers and retailers that do not comply with clear-labelling regulations?

Mr. Rooker

Abuse or breach of the labelling regulations will result in prosecution by the regulatory authorities. That is important. Only four foods have been approved for sale in Britain—maize, soya, vegetarian cheese and GM tomato paste. All are required to be effectively labelled so that consumers have a choice. MAFF has produced a list of 59 non-GM soya producers in the United States and Canada, so that people in Britain can source that material and declare that it is not genetically modified. We have taken steps in that respect.

A sub-group of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes will shortly be holding a further open meeting to discuss the post-marketing and monitoring of those foods. It is not sufficient for them to be regulated and approved as rigorously as they are, and then for the Government and the regulatory authorities to walk away. We shall monitor the foods and their use throughout the food chain, both for human and animal health, and we shall set up procedures for that.

Mr. Anthony Steen (Totnes)

Are the Government planning to give farmers some protection against any legal liability which might arise as a result of damage to the health of consumers who eat GM crops and food? Has the Minister been told that planeloads of GM food are coming in by the day from the United States, where GM and non-GM foods are grown, processed and sold together? That makes a bit of a nonsense of the labelling that we are talking about with regard to Europe.

Mr. Rooker

I must make it clear that when those foods end up on the supermarket shelves, their labels must state that they contain genetically modified ingredients. That is a requirement. If GM and non-GM ingredients are mixed in the manufacturing process, the made-up food, especially soya, must be labelled as genetically modified before it can be sold in the supermarket. We cannot legally force the Americans to segregate, but one day they will wake up to the fact that market pressure—which they well understand—will probably force segregation. The hon. Gentleman is right to say that that material is now in this country, but labelling is required. Consumers then have the choice of whether to buy it.

Under the Food Safety Act 1990, liability rests on the seller and the producer of the food. No one needs immunities in that respect. There is a requirement on producers and sellers to ensure that the food that they sell is safe.

Mr. Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale, West)

The Minister will be aware that no test can say whether milk has been produced with the addition of synthetic or recombinant bovine somatotropin in the production process. As there can therefore be no viable labelling regime, will he reassure the House and consumers that the Government will campaign in Brussels for an extension of the moratorium on the use of BST?

Mr. Rooker

Yes.