On Fri, 28 Jul 2000 15:25:01 +0300 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist http://www.smh.com.au/news/0007/28/update/news1.html GM food rule gets green light By Amanda Vaughan and AAP Virtually all genetically modified food is to be labelled, after state and territory health ministers overruled Prime Minister John Howard today. The big exception is restaurant food. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mr Howard only wanted foods with more than one per cent GM ingredients to be labelled, despite polls showing near unanimous public support for all such products to be clearly identified. However, a meeting of state, territory and federal health ministers from Australia and New Zealand has rejected Mr Howard's proposal and backed mandatory labelling of all foods containing GM ingredients. "An overwhelming number of states and territories and the New Zealand government has supported the final proposal," South Australian Health Minister Dean Brown told ABC radio. "It's been agreed that where you have genetically modified food material then basically that food should be appropriately labelled. "What has been achieved here is a consensus view that consumers will be very happy with." However, the meeting has agreed on a number of exemptions. Food that is accidentally contaminated with GM ingredients during transport will not have to be labelled. But Mr Brown denies this creates a loophole that could be exploited by food producers. "That contamination has to be unintended and it has to be verified as a non-GM crop with an audit trail or a certificate verifying that it was originally a non-GM crop," he said. "Certainly this isn't a loophole at all." Highly refined oils and similar products that remove DNA and protein will also not have to be labelled. Foods served in restaurants will also not have to be identified as containing GM ingredients. "Prepared foods will not require labelling," Mr Brown said. "That is if you walk into the restaurant, and you receive a meal, there is no labelling required there." The Australian Consumers Association regards the exclusion of prepared food from labelling as a loss. However, a spokewoman said it was "very positive" that an audit trail had to be presented proving all non-labelled food originated from a non- GM crop. The National Farmers Federation is concerned about the trade implications which labelling might have and will get legal advice on whether it might breach World Trade Organisation rules. Executive director Wendy Craik also had concerns about the cost to farmers. She said the audit advising consumers whether or not the food came from a genetically modified crop would most likely mean increased compliance costs for farmers. She was also surprised by the decision to exclude restaurant prepared food. "What is quite extraordinary is if there is such concern about genetically modified food why is prepared food from restaurants exempt?" she said. The Australian Food and Grocery Council said the decision meant Australian and New Zealand labelling laws were the toughest anywhere in the world. It's Executive Director, Mitchell Hooke said: "This is a decision the industry has been looking for and consumers have been expecting". "It should go a long way to meeting the the fundamental objective of providing consumers with meaningful information upon which they can exercise their right to choice." However, AFGC did express concern about the exemption of food prepared at the point of sale. Both Monsanto and Aventis, which dominate genetically modified food production in Australia, said the decision would have little effect on their operations. *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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