Civic group calls for strict ‘GM food’ labels

Regulation outdated, coverage too narrow

A health civic group yesterday called on the Public Health Ministry to revamp its GM food labelling regulation to ensure all products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) carry “GM food” labels.

The group has found a ministerial regulation issued under the Food Act 1979 is outdated and needs revamping, says Jiraporn Limpananont, president of the Independent Consumer Protection Organisation, who has joined a civic group movement campaigning for the change.

Issued in 2002 and administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the regulation requires manufacturers of food products to carry the label “GM food” on its packages if products contain at least 5% of GM soy and corn.

The group urged the ministry to adopt Japan’s GM food regulation, which covers a broader range of goods and also comes with a requirement to perform tests.

The FDA should require all seeds and food products containing GM ingredients to pass health and environmental safety tests before they go on sale, in line with what Japan does, the group said.

A GM label must be displayed clearly on the package if it contains a GM ingredient, no matter what the ingredient is, it said.

GM food products on the market should be monitored and those without permission should be immediately removed.

The civic group also demanded the FDA launch a post-marketing system of examining GM food products that have been granted permission if the products affect people’s health and the environment.

Ms Jiraporn said technology has marched ahead of the regulation’s ability to keep up. Many more GM food products are available today. The regulation must be extended beyond GM soy and corn to cover products containing even a small percentage of GM ingredients.

According to the group, a large amount of processed foods in Thailand has been found to contain GM wheat flour, potato, carrot, tomato and salmon. But the packages don’t need to carry GM food labels as it isn’t required by law.

Ms Jiraporn said it may take a long time to prove GM food has an impact on human health and the environment.

However, there are findings that consumers, especially those allergic to protein, may be allergic to GM food because of a new type of protein formed through the genetic modification process.

“Labelling is needed as consumers need to know what they are consuming,” said Ms Jiraporn.

Some food products containing GM soy or corn carry warnings, but the print is too small for consumers to see. The group said these include Nestle’s “Nesvita” and corn chips “Doritos”.

When asked for their opinion on their label, Nestlé (Thai) Ltd said: “Nestle fully complies with all laws and regulations in the market in which we operate.”