Regulations

As of 2000, about 60-70% of soybeans and 35% of corn produced in the US are genetically modified (Ladage, 2000). However, in 1999, the EU called for a moratorium on GM foods. As a result, a large part of the US exports were no longer accepted by European nations. Because of the free trade agreement among countries belonging to the EU, if a handful of countries decided to embargo GM food, the others had to follow suit (Victor and Runge, 2002).

Labeling of GM foods

The EU finally lifted the moratorium at the end of 2003, with the stipulation that foods that are genetically modified be labeled as such (“EU sorts out GM legislation”, 2003). This tension of countries in favor of GM foods versus those not in favor creates an interesting balance. Because of the nature of food processing, it is inevitable that in a country where GM crops are grown, some GM food will be mixed in with food that is designated GM-free. This is not specifically a problem with GM foods, but is rather a common problem for crops in general. However, the EU has ruled that all foods containing more than 1% of GM material must be clearly labeled as such (“EU sorts out GM legislation”, 2003). These rules apply for all types of foods, even for ingredients in processed foods, such as the soybean oil in dispute in the Egypt/Thailand debate (Joy, 2003). This also includes foods that have no traceable DNA or protein fragments within the product, but are made with known GM ingredients (Clapp, 2003). While this applies to products on store shelves, it leaves open the issue of labeling food served in restaurants—should consumers know if the food they're being served is genetically modified (Ladage, 2000)?