§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the taxpayer is funding the regulation of genetically modified food and the research underpinning that regulation; if so, on what grounds; and whether this represents a subsidy of genetically modified food on the market in the United Kingdom. [HL2164]
§ Lord DonoughueThe Government do not subsidise genetically modified food on the market in the United Kingdom. While the development and enforcement of regulations on food safety is, in general, funded by the taxpayer, companies seeking approval of a novel food in the UK pay an application fee, which covers the full cost of the safety assessment. The Government do however fund generic research on the safety of novel foods to ensure that the assessment procedures used by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes keep up with developments in scientific knowledge.