Codex Halts Work on GMO Definitions, Labeling

BRUSSELSThe Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) will discontinue its work on definitions related to GMOs following no agreement at its May CCFL meeting. The committee instead will develop a compilation of Codex texts relevant to the labeling of foods derived from modern biotechnology instead. A draft compilation was agreed at the May meeting and will be presented for final adoption at the Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in July.

The decision ends years of discussion in which the CCFL was divided between countries proposing process-based GMO labeling and those proposing that GMOs should be declared on the label only when they are present in the final product.

The compilation document will recall and assemble some important elements of guidance from Codex texts that are relevant to the labeling of foods derived from modern biotechnology.

Commenting on the decision, the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations' (IADSA) Regulatory Affairs Director David Pineda Ereño, said: It is not intended to suggest or imply that foods derived from modern biotechnology are necessarily different from other foods simply due to their methods of production, and the idea is that any approach implemented by Codex members should be consistent with already adopted Codex provisions."

The CCFL also agreed on a definition for Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs); to develop claims and conditions of use related to trans fatty acids for inclusion in the guidelines for use of nutrition and health claims, and to develop new work on mandatory nutrition labeling for all foods.