New SA Law Requires GM Food Labels
23 September 2008 Despite strong opposition by the departments of health and agriculture, the South African Parliament’s trade and industry committee included controversial provisions regarding the labeling of genetically modified (GM) contents of food in the Consumer Protection Bill.
Once the bill is implemented, labeling of food’s GM content will become mandatory; in this case, producers, importers, distributors, and retailers will be held liable for any damage caused by these products.
While GM organisms were excluded from the original version of the bill, the committee decided yesterday to adopt the labeling clause. Labeling is currently voluntary and only mandatory in extreme cases of genetic modification.
The labeling clause introduced into the bill reads that “any person who produces, supplies, imports or packages any prescribed goods must display on or in association with the packaging of those goods a notice in the prescribed manner and form that discloses the presence of any genetically modified ingredients or components of those goods in accordance with applicable regulations.” These regulations would be issued by the agriculture department, which would still be responsible for determining thresholds and technical requirements.
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