- Preserving each individual nation’s freedom
- Question of long term effects of GM foods.
- Cost of compliance should be taken into consideration
- Basis for regulations to be practical, valid and robust
- Lack of agreement on equivalence
- Biotechnology interacts with other issues
SECOND TIER
Preserving each individual nation’s freedom Mentions 5
Consumers
- ·Codex will unduly influence New Zealand’s and Australia’s right to implement more strict labelling guidelines. World Trade Organisation may use against us as a non-tariff trade barrier issue.
Producers / Manufacturers / Marketers / Retailers
- Communicating what Codex is and what role sovereign regulatory bodies play in the international context.
- Codex standards provide a basic platform for food standards. Each country is still able to introduce its own standards in addition.
- Any international agreement must preserve individual nation’s freedom to adopt the highest standards they choose, without review in international tribunals.
Research
- New Zealand needs to participate in Codex meeting involved in developing International standards for foods derived from biotechnology and then needs to develop its own standards.
Question of long term effects of GM foods. Mentions 5
Consumers
- Tests of long-term effects of GE foods are inadequate. This includes effects on the environment.
- Engineering vitamins etc. with food – risky experiments not knowing effect on wide population with different metabolic make-ups.
- Long-term effects of GE food on people not known – cancer takes years to surface often.
Producers / Manufacturers / Marketers / Retailers
- GE foods require long period of assessment c/f. tobacco. Public protection is needed until complete.
- ·Long-term effects on health.
Research
Cost of compliance should be taken into consideration Mentions 5
Consumers
Producers / Manufacturers / Marketers / Retailers
- Must consider the cost/benefit of labelling GM foods.
- Balancing costs of regulation with benefits (an ….. of no regulation, e.g. labelling of substantially equivalent with benefits)
- Regulation: If a proposed regulation adds nothing to food safety then it must not be imposed. Cost of compliance must not outweigh benefit.
- Do the costs of compliance outweigh the benefits / will the consumer understand the labelling regime etc. / understand the technology enough to make an informed choice.
- Maintaining policy of using risk analysis to deal with safety issues relating to food.
Research
Basis for regulations to be practical, valid and robust Mentions 4
- Can regulations keep up with the speed of change and progress in biotechnology – the science is moving faster than this.
- To come up with a practical workable regulation. Clearly identifying a definition of GM and GM free.
- There is a need for a valid and robust study before GE food comes to the market.
- Regulation needs to be practical. If they contribute nothing or little to food safety they will only add cost for no or little benefit. Based on science.
Lack of agreement on equivalence Mentions 4
Consumers
- Issue of substantial equivalence is an untested and arbitrary hypothesis. Based on compositional analysis.
- A transposed protein can cause allergens and toxicity.
Producers / Manufacturers / Marketers / Retailers
- The concept of substantial equivalence and the model being built on it is not good science. This includes the risk management built on it.
- Lack of agreement on equivalence.
Research
Biotechnology interacts with other issues Mentions 4
Consumers
- Lack of recognition of cultural safety issues.
- It is wrong to tamper with the genetic blueprint – particularly crossing species barriers.
- Environmental issues are safety issues – what is the risk of spreading to other crops and plants (e.g. weeds)
Producers / Manufacturers / Marketers / Retailers
- The inability to divorce food safety from the other issues surrounding biotechnology. E.g. the environment.
Research
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Contact for Enquiries
Dr Sharon Adamson
Manager,
Innovation Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0618
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0741
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