Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 01 | JANUARY 2016
GMO Labeling Laws per Country
Mae Margaret Macahilo, QUALIFOOD s.r.o.
gggggGenetically engineered food
has been a controversial issue in the
food industry. Opinions are divided
as to whether genetically modified
food are harmful or not. Due to the
lack of concrete evidence proving
that genetically modified foods are
indeed detrimental to health, many
countries do not have mandatory
GMO labeling laws in place.
GMO Labeling Laws
If you look at the table below, only
three countries implement a complete and total ban of genetically engineered (GE) food both imported and
cultivated. Most of the countries in
the EU region, Australia and New Zealand implement mandatory labeling
with up to 1% labeling threshold of
GMO content.
Some Asian countries, Brazil, South
Africa and Ukraine also implement
mandatory food labeling on many
of their GE foods but with higher
threshold for GMO content.
Many Asian and Latin American
countries as well as some African
countries have their labeling law on
some GE foods but with numerous
exception. They also do not implement a labeling threshold on GMO
content.
US GMO Labeling
US consumers have mixed opinions
regarding GMO labeling. There is no
mandated GMO labeling law in the
US because the government believes
that the nature of the product is
more important than the production
process. GM foods are seen to help
eliminate food deserts, which are
quickly becoming a problem in some
US states.
US is the leading producer of GM
foods. The government regulates
GM foods similar to traditional ones,
which keeps public safety, health and
environmental safety in mind.
20
Country
Labelling Law
Labeling Threshold
Benin
Official ban on GE food
imports and cultivation
0 threshold
Serbia
Official ban on GE food
imports and cultivation
0 threshold
Zambia
Official ban on GE food 0 threshold
imports and cultivation
Canada
No GE food labeling laws
N/A
Mexico
No GE food labeling laws
N/A
United States
No GE food labeling laws
N/A
Australia
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Austria
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Belarus
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Belgium
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Bosnia and Herzego- Mandatory labeling of
vina
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Bulgaria
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Croatia
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Cyprus
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Czech Republic
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Denmark
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Estonia
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Finland
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
France
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Germany
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Greece
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Hungary
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content
Iceland
Mandatory labeling of
nearly all GE foods
0.9 – 1% GMO content