EU opens the door to genetically modified food

Europe is considering easing the regulations on genetically modified foods. In fact, the crops are a solution to make food production more sustainable, concludes a new study by the European Commission.

New legal framework is required

To achieve the European Union’s sustainable ‘Green Deal’ goals, legislators and the food industry must also have the courage to look at genetically modified crops. That is the conclusion of a new report by the European Commission. A reappraisal of the risks, and therefore of the strict regulations, is required. Current legislation on the controversial technology dates back to 2001 and is therefore outdated. Today, it is possible to improve existing crops genetically, and it is different from first-generation GMOs, say the researchers.

The Commission is therefore launching a series of consultations to outline a new legal framework. However, this will not be plain sailing: although Germany and France, among others, reacted enthusiastically right away, there is also a lot of resistance. As recently as the end of December, a proposal to authorise different types of modified soybeans and corn was voted out by the European Parliament. Furthermore, in 2018 the European Supreme Court already ruled that the new techniques still fall under the current legal framework for GMOs.

An agreement still seems a long way off, as researchers insist that sustainability goals cannot be achieved without GM food production, while the critics see only the hand of lobby groups for the agriculture and biotechnology industries in the report. The questions on the table include whether modified foods can be consumed in Europe – be it by humans or animals – and how it should be labelled. No genetically modified products are currently on the market in Europe.