Five-year ban on GM foods ends with approval for sale of canned sweetcorn

THE five-and-a-half-year ban on GM foods in the EU was officially ended yesterday with the decision by Commissioner David Byrne to allow the importation of canned GM sweet corn.

Mr Byrne admitted he did not see any benefits in GM food but with new EU laws ensuring genetically modified food is labelled in future, he said choice was now with the consumer.

The EU governments refused to lift the ban over the past few months, with several countries continuing to vote against opening up the market to GM, and instead handed the controversial decision back to the EU Commission.

Yesterday's decision clears the way for further GM food products to be cleared for sale in the EU.

Marketed by the Swiss company Syngenta the corn itself is not grown in Europe but will be imported from the US. The strain of corn Bt11 is still not cleared for cultivation in the EU but is likely to be shortly.

European consumers are likely to have already eaten GM corn as a derivative part of other products maize oil, maize flour, sugar and syrup, snack foods, baked and fried food, confectionary and soft drinks.

It was authorized for import in 1998 and is one of 37 such products already in circulation in the EU.

However, this is the first time that a complete food, not just a derivative, has been cleared for sale on supermarket shelves.

Mr Byrne, announcing the move yesterday, said consumers will have a choice of whether to purchase it or not as the new labelling laws he introduced in April will clearly say that it is GM.

"It has been subject to the most rigorous pre-marketing assessment in the world. It has been scientifically assessed as being as safe as any conventional maize. Food safety is not an issue; it is a question of consumer choice," he said.

It will also be traceable back to the original producer under the EU regulations and the authorization will last for ten years, after which the company will have to reapply.

Mr Byrne said he did not see any benefits in GM products but it was now up to the manufacturers to sell its advantages to the public.

"I do not promote GM. I don't care whether people eat GM or not," he said.

Juliana McDonnell, a lecturer in marketing in University College Galway, said research found Irish consumers were largely ignorant about GM food. She said the Irish had negative perceptions, whereas Californians, where GM is commonly available were either neutral or positive.

She said, even with labelling it will be a major job to educate Irish people about just what genetically modified food is.

The US and Australia has asked the World Trade Organisation to force Europe to open up to GM products and are in the process of taking an action over this.