HL Deb 06 April 1998 vol 588 cc91-2WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in allowing food containing genetically modified material into the country, and allowing it to be sold without specific identification, they are acting in accordance with the Precautionary Principle, or in accordance with the view that if ill-effects have so far not been identified, it is safe to assume there can be no ill effects. [HL1259]

Lord Donoughue

Food containing genetically modified material can only be imported into the European Union if it has been approved following a rigorous safety assessment. In the UK this safety assessment is undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. The Committee always takes a precautionary approach in arriving at its conclusions. As far as identification is concerned, the Government are determined to ensure that all foods containing genetically modified material are clearly labelled so that consumers can decide whether to purchase them or not. Detailed EC rules for doing this in the case of genetically modified soya and maize are expected to be agreed shortly. In the meantime, manufacturers and retailers have been labelling genetically modified products on a voluntary basis since the beginning of January.