Regardless of amount, GMO products to now be labeled, ministry says

Posted on : 2015-01-26 15:52 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Move is a response to pressure to increase transparency, but critics say a key loophole still remains
 staff photographer)
staff photographer)

In the future, companies that use genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, as ingredients in their products will have to label them as such regardless of the amount the products contain.

This decision means that the government is partially accepting demands by the opposition party and civic groups - including the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) - to adopt a system for labeling all GMOs.

However, since the labeling requirement still only applies when genetically modified proteins remain in the final product, critics argue that the system does not adequately guarantee consumers’ right to know.

On Jan. 25, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced its work agenda for 2015. One of the major items on the agenda was expanding the number of products that must be labeled for GMOs.

First of all, the system is being altered to make it mandatory for all genetically modified ingredients in products to be labeled. This reflects criticism that numerous loopholes were undermining customer choice and consumers’ right to know.

In short, if a product includes genetically modified soybeans or corn, for example, these ingredients must all be listed, even if they are not the “main ingredients.”

Until now, companies were only required to label GMOs when they were one of the five main ingredients. As a result, it was common for companies to not label GMOs even when they were used to make soybean oil, snacks, and bread.

“Considering that there is still widespread public anxiety about the safety of food, we are planning to increase the number of foods that will be labeled as GMOs and to increase the font size to make it easier for consumers to read,” the ministry said.

The ministry will require all products that contain GMOs - not merely those in which GMOs are one of the main ingredients - to be labeled.

At the same time, products that do not contain genetically modified proteins do not have to be labeled, a loophole that limits the effectiveness of the ministry’s attempt to improve the GMO labeling system, critics argue.

“The comprehensive labeling system for food products took effect around 10 years ago, and the unfounded concept of ‘main ingredients’ only applied to the system for labeling GMOs. It makes perfect sense for the system to be reformed,” said Park Ji-ho, director of the Consumer Justice Center at the Citizens‘ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ).

“If we are to create the kind of GMO labeling system that consumers actually want, we need to eliminate the requirement about genetically modified protein as well, since the logical basis for this is unclear,” Park added.

 

By Choi Sung-jin, staff reporter

 

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