§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the decision of the Food Standards Agency to vote to approve a licence for GM sweetcorn at the recent EU committee meeting; [143656]
(2) what discussions his Department has had with the Food Standards Agency regarding the application for use of Bt11 GM maize in food considered by the EC Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health meeting on 8 December; [143474]
(3) what advice his Department has (a) given and (b) received from the Food Standards Agency on a decision regarding the application for use of Bt11 GM 597W maize in food considered at the EC Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health meeting on 8 December. [143475]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonA vote on the authorisation of Bt11 sweetcorn was taken at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 8 December. The Food Standards Agency represents the United Kingdom at this committee. As is always the case at such committees, the UK delegation presented a position on behalf of the Government, which was agreed after consulting Ministers from all relevant Departments.
The application for the authorisation of a line of genetically modified sweetcorn for food use was made in 1999 under the novel foods regulation (EC) No. 258/97. The dossier was reviewed by the European Union member states and then referred to the European Community Scientific Committee on Food (SCF). The SCF reviewed the application along with an additional dossier of information provided by the applicant, which responded to questions raised by member states. The SCF opinion was published in May 2002 and concluded that this line of GM sweetcorn is as safe for human food consumption as its conventional counterparts.
The UK supported the proposal for authorisation because the criteria laid out in the relevant legislation had been met, namely: the product does not present a risk to the consumer, does not mislead the consumer and is not nutritionally disadvantageous compared with other foods that it might replace.